The Kingdom of the Mind 

How to Promote Intelligent Living 
d Avert Mental Disaster 



James Mortimer Keniston 



Class 
Book. 




GpwrighrtJ?- 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSm 



The Kingdom of the 
Mind 

How to Promote Intelligent Living and 
Avert Mental Disaster 



By 
James Mortimer Keniston, M.D. 

Member of The American Medico-Psychological Ass'n, 

Formerly on the Medical Staff of the Connecticut 

Hospital for Insane 



Whatever condition or action of the body sustains, 
steadies, and amplifies moral power, is right. 
Whatever reduces moral effectiveness, self-control, 
poise of judgment, and ethical confidence, is wrong. 

Francis Greenwood Peabody. 



G. P. Putnam's Sons 

New York and London 

ube fmicfcetbocfcer press 

1916 






Copyright, 1916 

BY 

JAMES M. KENISTON 



":-: 






NOV 16 1915 

^be ftnfcfcerbocfcer press, "Hew l^orfe 



©CI.A445673 



cr 

r* 



DeDicatlon 

TO ALL, YOUNG OR OLD, WHO DESIRE 
TO MAINTAIN A SOUND MIND AND A 
SOUND BODY, AND TO ATTAIN HAPPINESS 
AND SUCCESS BY SERVICE TO HUMANITY. 



MY MIND TO ME A KINGDOM IS 

My mind to me a kingdom is, 
Such perfect joys therein I find, 
That it excels all other bliss 

That earth affords, or grows by kind ; 
Though much I want which most would have, 
Yet still my mind forbids to crave. 

No princely pomp, no wealthy store, 
No force to win the victory, 
No wily wit to salve a sore, 

No shape to feed a loving eye; 
To none of these I yield as thrall ; 
For why? My mind doth serve for all. 

I see how plenty surfeits oft, 
And hasty climbers soon do fall ; 
I see that those which are aloft 

Mishap doth threaten most of all ; 
They get with toil, they keep with fear; 
Such cares my mind could never bear. 

Content to live, this is my stay; 
I seek no more than may suffice; 
I press to bear no haughty sway; 

Look, what I lack my mind supplies. 



vi My Mind to Me a Kingdom Is 

Lo, thus I triumph like a king, 
Content with that my mind doth bring. 

Some have too much, yet still do crave; 

I little have, and seek no more. 

They are but poor, though much they have, 

And I am rich with little store; 
They poor, I rich; they beg, I give; 
They lack, I leave; they pine, I live. 

I laugh not at another's loss, 

I grudge not at another's gain; 

No worldly cares my mind can toss; 

My state at one doth still remain; 
I fear no foe, I fawn no friend ; 
I loathe not life, nor dread its end. 

Some weigh their pleasure by their lust, 
Their wisdom by their rage of will ; 
Their treasure is their only trust ; 

A cloaked craft their only skill. 
But all the pleasure that I find, 
Is to maintain a quiet mind. 

My wealth is health and perfect ease; 
My conscience clear my chief defence; 
I neither seek by bribes to please, 

Nor by deceit to breed offence. 
Thus do I live; thus will I die; 
Would all did so as well as I ! 

Sir Edward Dyer (i 550-1 607). 



PREFACE 

T^HE writer has spent many years in 
* caring for those of unsound minds. He 
has had the opportunity to study closely 
many hundred patients, and he has seen and 
knows some of the symptoms presented by 
several thousand. He has seen many re- 
cover their reason, and many lapse into 
hopeless dementia, while many have died. 
He has seen great changes for the better in 
the treatment of the insane, and rejoices in 
the prospect of great advances in the imme- 
diate future. The establishment of psycho- 
pathic hospitals, where those afflicted or 
threatened with mental disorder may go 
voluntarily, and be studied and treated the 
same as sick people in a general hospital, 
will be of incalculable benefit. In our special 
hospitals and sanitaria great progress has 
been made, as evidenced by their reports and 



viii Preface 

results. Their great work is not yet generally 
recognized by the public. 

We learn much about health by the study 
of disease. The vagaries of a disordered 
mind enable us the better to understand the 
normal processes of a healthy mind. Every- 
thing about man — his ancestry, inheritance, 
environment, occupation, age, mode of life, 
habits, propensities — must be ascertained. 
It is hoped that this book will help its readers 
to develop both mind and body in the right 
direction, enabling them to lead happy, 
healthy, and prosperous lives. 

The writer has not hesitated to utilize 
the works of great masters of prose and 
poetry, and of great teachers and great 
scientists, where their sayings corroborate or 
illuminate the points to be made, and due 
acknowledgment and appreciation are here- 
with bestowed. Gratitude is also due those 
who have attended his lectures, and have 
expressed to him a sense of value received. 

J. M. K. 

Portland, Maine, October, iqi6. 



CONTENTS 

PAGB 

Dyer's Poem v 



Preface 



L— Introductory 
II.— The Body . 



III. — The Kingdom of the Mind 19 

IV. — Perception .... 28 

V. — Consciousness — Attention . 36 

VI. — Memory .... 46 

VII. — Thinking .... 56 

VIII. — Judgment .... 69 

IX. — Emotions — Feelings . . 80 

X.— The Will .... 91 

XI. — Sources of Strength . . 103 

XII. — Sources of Weakness . .114 

XIII. — The Ruler of the Kingdom 123 

XIV. — Stability . . . .136 



VII 

1 
6 



x Contents 

CHAPTER PAGE 

XV. — From Youth to Age . .144 

XVI. — Woman also as a Ruler . 159 

XVII.— Joy in Life . . . .168 

XVIII. — Wise and Other-than-Wise . 179 

XIX. — Care of the Body . .191 

XX. — Care of the Mind . . 203 

XXI. — The Doctor as Counsellor . 217 

XXII. — Our Weak Brethren . . 225 

XXIII. — What Everybody Ought to 

Have .... 234 

Index 243 



The Kingdom of the Mind 



The Kingdom of the Mind 



INTRODUCTORY 

QINCE 1863, in which year the learned 
^ Dr. Isaac Ray published his book on 
Mental Hygiene, much has been written, 
either directly or indirectly, on this subject, 
which nevertheless has not been exhausted. 
After careful survey of all available literature 
the writer is convinced that there is still room 
for and need of another book which will be 
devoid of technical language, which will 
present a simple analysis of the mental facul- 
ties, and which may aid in helping to main- 
tain a sound mind and to avert mental and 
nervous disorders. This book is intended 



2 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

to be useful to the youth as well as to adults, 
and may even be profitable to older persons 
in the attempt to defer old age. 

This is practically an enlargement of a 
series of lectures which have been delivered 
before the Young Men's Christian Associa- 
tion, the Social Service League, and various 
other organizations, and the interest aroused 
and the numerous questions asked by audi- 
tors, some of them mere children, have ap- 
parently been of practical benefit. In several 
cases, persons on the verge of mental disease 
have been able to avert it by learning to use 
their faculties intelligently and to conquer 
their doubts and fears. 

The term "Mind" is simply a word used 
to convey to ourselves and others any or all 
those processes, as thought, memory, reason- 
ing, judgment, emotions and will, which 
enable us to establish proper relations with 
our age and environment. No satisfactory 
definition of this word has ever been given. 
"What is mind?" "No matter." "What 
is matter?" " Never mind." The word 



Introductory 3 

"mind," in English, is used both as a noun and 
a verb! Discussion is for our purpose use- 
less. In everyday life we use the words 
"mind," "body," "soul," and "spirit," and 
as a general thing we can make our meaning 
clear. In this world, this life, mind, soul, 
and body are "one and inseparable." The 
Lord formed man and breathed into his 
nostrils the breath of life, and man became 
a living soul. 

To every human being is given at least 
one talent, which should not be buried. 
Every human being is capable of service, 
either directly, by action, or indirectly, by 
example. Our mental faculties are the tools 
with which we work out our destiny. They 
are interdependent, co-operative, and, when 
fully developed, are so rapidly associated as 
to appear almost if not quite simultaneous. 
All mental processes depend upon and are 
modified by stimuli which may be external 
or internal — arising from the world outside 
ourselves, or from the inmost recesses of our 
being : and they also depend upon many and 



4 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

complex bodily conditions — cell actions, or- 
ganic functions (secretion and excretion), and 
the condition of the circulatory, respiratory, 
digestive and nervous systems, for their 
normal activity. 

In other words a sound mind depends 
largely on a sound body, and "likewise 
contrawise." As a matter of experience we 
know that the mind may rise above and over- 
come to some extent bodily defects, and 
sometimes the body may domineer over 
the mental faculties, and impair their 
efficiency. 

In the following pages it should be under- 
stood that by the word "body" we mean the 
individual as he appears to others — size, 
weight, bones, muscles, lungs, brain, nerves, 
digestive and secretory and excretory organs, 
eyes and ears — in fact, everything which 
can be measured and weighed and seen and 
felt; which can be moved from place to 
place; and by the word mind we mean "all 
the powers, qualities, and attributes which 
are concerned in maintaining those relations 



Introductory 5 

to ourselves and to other beings which are 
necessary to our highest welfare." 1 

As mind and body are interdependent, we 
will first consider the latter, somewhat 
briefly; then proceed to an analysis of the 
mental faculties: and finally endeavour to 
evolve some general and special considera- 
tions which may promote the highest possible 
efficiency of both body and mind, which, to 
the writer, means social service — the winning 
of life by losing it. The indulgent reader — 
if there be one — will kindly accept some 
inevitable repetitions. 

x Ray, Mental Hygiene. 



II 

THE BODY 

A^general need of the animal form is that it shall be 
free to move. — Shaler. 

There is a mortifying of the flesh, but there is also a 
dignifying of the flesh. — Peabody. 

WE shall not attempt to fully describe 
the body, with all its wonderful 
mechanisms, assuming that anyone who 
cares for his mental and physical soundness 
will have attained some knowledge of anat- 
omy and physiology, of dangerous diseases, 
of the laws of hygiene and sanitation and 
asepsis, of protection and prevention. These 
things are now taught in our schools, and 
in public lectures, and no one need be abso- 
lutely ignorant of these vital subjects. 

Many persons have in the past and many 
even today have maintained and promul- 
gated very erroneous, incorrect, and even 



THe Body 7 

fantastic views of the human body. It has 
been considered as corrupt, impure, vile, 
despicable — as something unworthy of notice, 
to be kept down, mortified, and even abused. 
Literature abounds in illustrations. We 
hear "of the world, the flesh, and the devil," 
as if synonymous terms. Many of us are 
ashamed of our flesh, as if it were dishonour- 
able. 

On the other hand, by many the flesh and 
the body have been unduly exalted and even 
worshipped. Each of these extremes is to be 
avoided. We should look upon our bodies 
as honourable, worthy, beautiful, inasmuch 
as they not only are the vehicles of the mind 
and soul, but, in this life, a part of them. 
If the mind is our great treasure, the casket 
should be in every way fit and lovely. Our 
kingdom should have a fitting palace. Kings 
do not as a rule live in shanties. "Know ye 
not that your body is the temple of the Holy 
Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, 
. . . therefore glorify God in your body, and 
in your spirit, which are God's." 



8 TKe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

"The body is not one member, but many. 
If the foot shall say, Because I am not the 
hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore 
not of the body? And if the ear shall say, 
Because I am not the eye, I am not of the 
body, is it therefore not of the body? If 
the whole body were an eye, where were the 
hearing? If the whole were hearing, where 
were the smelling? . . . And if they were 
all one member, where were the body? But 
now are they many members, yet but one 
body. And the eye cannot say unto the 
hand, I have no need of thee; nor again the 
hand to the feet, I have no need of you. 
Nay, much more those members of the body, 
which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: 
. . . But God hath tempered the body 
together — that there should be no schism in 
the body, but that the members should have 
the same care one for another. And w r hether 
one member suffer, all the members suffer 
with it; or one member be honoured, all the 
members rejoice with it." 1 

1 I Corinthians, xii, 14-26. 



TKe Body 9 

"We know our bodies are temples, and 
then continue to desecrate them by overwork, 
overplay and overeating, not to mention 
certain franker outrages upon the body." 1 
"If anything is sacred, the human body is 
sacred, and the glory of man ... is the 
token of manhood untainted, . . . seeing, 
hearing, feeling, are miracles, and each part 
and tag of me is a miracle." 2 

A man may perceive, remember, think 
clearly, judge rightly, and feel and will intel- 
ligently and purposely, but if his body does 
not respond and move to obey, he might as 
well be a barnacle, firmly fixed in one place. 
Now we all know that no two bodies are ex- 
actly perfect and symmetrical. We must 
make the most of such bodies as we have. 
How can we do this ? 

There are certain essential conditions 
which should be free to all — pure air, water, 
and food, proper shelter, and hygienic and 

1 Rev. Dr. George Clarke Peck, N. Y. Herald, Sunday 
Sermon. 

* Walt Whitman. 



io The Kingdom of tKe Mind 

sanitary surroundings. These should be 
provided by every town, city, and state. A 
plague spot in any one district or quarter 
may infect all the others, and the rich who 
can pay for anything, will suffer from the 
unsanitary conditions which mar the health 
and happiness of the poor. 

Given proper surroundings one can more 
successfully care for the body. Perfect 
health depends on the normal structure of 
the bones, on ready, free, and easy use of the 
muscles, on pure air to breathe, with ade- 
quate ventilation of all buildings, on a good 
and equal circulation of the blood, on regu- 
larity of the heart's action, on correct methods 
of eating and choice of foods, on the normal 
functioning of the stomach, liver, kidneys, 
spleen, pancreas, intestines, and organs of 
reproduction, on a well-balanced nervous 
system, on proper use and care of the skin, 
and on suitable clothing. 

Let us consider briefly some of the factors 
which conduce to bodily health, and present 
a few simple methods which are within the 



THe Body n 

reach of everyone. All, except infants, have 
teeth — or can buy some — therefore keep them 
in good condition, and use them to masticate 
food thoroughly, allowing it at the same time 
to mix with the saliva. Visit your dentist 
at regular intervals. A bad tooth may cause 
serious trouble in any part of the head, as for 
example, excruciating neuralgia. 

Eat simple, wholesome food, properly 
prepared, with as much variety as possible. 
Have meals at regular hours — the same every 
day in the year. Don't talk shop at meals, 
nor discuss any disagreeable or painful sub- 
ject. Allow adequate time, and always 
bring a cheerful face to the table. A good 
laugh promotes good digestion., _Eat what 
you like — if you can get it — and don't keep 
worrying over your eating. Animals can 
be fed by measure and standard, but not 
human beings. "One man's meat" may be 
"another man's poison." Old Mother Goose 
tells of the old woman "who lived upon noth- 
ing but victuals and drink"; and Bill Nye 
recommended less attention to foreign Ian- 



12 THe Kingdom of the Mind 

guages (menus) and advised "a few plain 
dishes with some victuals on them." 

"It is an immense question, that of diet. 
. . . Poor blind mortals that we are! un- 
grateful to our appetites, needlessly mistrust- 
ful and cowardly. A man may do what he 
dares; nor does he know, until he tries, what 
the honest appetite will bear. . . . Respect 
your dinner. . . . All a man's senses are 
worthy of employment, and should be culti- 
vated as a duty." x Let us be grateful to the 
Creator, who has provided such a bountiful 
table, such infinite variety of foods and flav- 
ours, pleasing to all our senses. "May good 
digestion wait on appetite, and health on 
both." 

We are provided with two brains, two 
lungs, two kidneys, and can get on fairly 
well if we lose a part of them, although we 
part with any portion of them with regret. 
Let us consider the act of respiration. We 
take in about eighteen times a minute oxygen, 
and exhale a poisonous gas — carbon dioxide, 

x Thackeray. Memorials of Gormandizing, 



The Body 13 

with some animal matter, etc. In many 
localities we also inhale various foreign sub- 
stances, as germ-laden dust, coal, gases, etc. 
Hence the importance of removing as far 
as possible all impurities from the air we 
breathe. This means good ventilation, both 
day and night — and preferably most of our 
time in the open air, or in rooms with wide 
open windows. 

Deep breathing should be a part of our 
daily routine — it promotes health and long 
life. The following method has been prac- 
tised and taught by the writer for twenty- 
five years, with gratifying results. To learn 
it, stand with your body, head and feet 
against the wall, with arms hanging loosely 
and naturally at the sides. Then take a 
long slow breath, as full and deep as possible. 
This will elevate the shoulders and body, 
and throw out the chest in front, especially 
at the top of the lungs. Hold this breath 
as long as you can, and then exhale slowly, 
until shoulders fall to their first position. 
Repeat this at least ten times — on arising, 



14 THe Kingdom of the Mind 

retiring, and at midday, and as much oftener 
as you can. It will hurt at first, so start in 
gently. With practice, you can keep your 
lungs distended for from one to three minutes. 

Throwing back the shoulders does not in 
the least help to expand the lungs, but proper 
contraction of the abdominal muscles and the 
diaphragm does. The above form of deep 
breathing steadies the heart, sends the blood 
to the remotest parts of the body, promotes 
warmth and comfort when chilled, and often 
will overcome nausea and even sea-sickness. 
In the latter cases, after filling the lungs, 
elevate the arms, to the utmost above the head, 
and then, with position tensely held, bend 
forward from the hips about forty-five degrees, 
hold this position for a few seconds, return 
to first position, and repeat as often as neces- 
sary. Deep breathing, as described above, 
will at once relieve the backache due to 
fatigue from long standing, or constrained 
positions assumed in some avocations. Try 
it, and be convinced. 

The heart, arteries, veins, and capillaries, 



THe Body 15 

like the lungs, work day and night, getting 
their rest in brief periods of a fraction of one 
second to four seconds, approximately. It 
goes without sa}^ing that the circulation of 
blood should be absolutely free and unim- 
peded throughout our entire bodies. "A 
man is as old as his arteries/ ' Some diseases, 
and some vicious or abnormal habits cause 
degeneration of the blood-vessels, with serious 
results on the entire body. Respect and 
cherish your heart. It may stand a lot of 
abuse for years, but do not bank on this. 
Overtrained athletes are prone to heart 
troubles, which may however occur in any 
cne who overexerts himself for long periods. 
Digestion, respiration, and circulation are 
controlled by the nervous system, which 
includes the brain, cranial, and spinal nerves, 
and the sympathetic nervous system, and 
these in turn are nourished and supported 
by the former. Our nerves provide our hap- 
piness and our misery. Without them we 
could do nothing. They are good servants 
but bad masters. By means of them we co- 



16 The Kingdom of tKe Mind 

ordinate all our physical functions and ac- 
tions. We think, observe, feel, move, breathe 
simultaneously — your muscles contract and 
relax, the secretory organs and glands per- 
form their work, our waste is promptly 
carried off, our blood circulates, our food 
digests — in short, all the complicated mechan- 
ism of our wonderful bodies does its work 
without rising into our consciousness, unless 
something goes wrong. Then, for instance, 
we realize we have a liver, or stomach, or 
heart, or lungs, or kidneys, or nerves. 

A few words about our protective covering 
— the skin — normally a soft, smooth, thin, 
pliable, elastic, and yet strong tissue, con- 
taining sweat and fat glands, touch cor- 
puscles, hair follicles, and innumerable 
nerves and blood-vessels. It may be con- 
sidered as a vast terminal station of the 
central nervous system. We learn much from 
the sense of touch, which would disappear 
almost if not quite wholly if w^e were deprived 
of it. Great care should be taken of the 
skin. It should be thoroughly ventilated 



The Body 17 

at least twice a day by complete exposure 
to the open air. We usually cover all but 
our head and hands throughout the entire 
twenty-four hours. At least ten minutes 
exposure morning and evening, with gentle 
muscular exercise, should be made, even in 
the coldest weather, with windows wide open. 
There is no danger of " catching colds' ' — in 
fact, it will prevent them. More of this 
later on. 

Again, great care should be bestowed on 
the feet — frequent ablutions, massage, and 
above all, proper shoes. These should be 
perfectly easy and comfortable, with low, 
w r ide heels, and should allow perfect play of 
the foot, even to wriggling of the toes. High 
heels, tight vamps, narrow toes, causing 
compression and pain, are not only improper, 
but dangerous to one's health and peace of 
mind. " There is only one thing to be said 
in favour of tite butes — they make a man 
forget all his other troubles." 1 

Finally, we must never hamper or com- 

x Josh Billings. 



1 8 The Kingdom of tHe Mind 

press any part of our body. Tight, stiff, 
and high collars may and often do prevent 
the proper flow of blood to and from the 
head by constricting the neck. The lungs, 
heart, and abdominal organs should have 
free play and scope, which are impossible 
when we are hobbled. The arms and legs 
should be easily and rapidly movable, that 
locomotion be not impeded. How ridiculous, 
not to say barbarous, are some of the dictates 
of Fashion — how arrogant and cruel the 
tyranny of clothes — how despotic the sway 
of conventionality! What fools we mortals 
may be, and often are! 



Ill 

THE KINGDOM OF THE MIND 

Were I so tall to reach the pole, 
Or grasp the ocean in my span, 
I must be measured by my soul; 
The mind's the standard of the man. 

Isaac Watts. 

Upon the whole, a contented mind is the greatest 
blessing a man can enjoy in this world. — Addison. 

T^HE mind, like electricity, cannot be 
* defined — we know it by what it does. 
We cannot assert with sureness that it has 
any definite seat or location in the human 
body. The phrenologists claim to locate the 
mind, or rather the various mental faculties, 
in the brain, and point to various " bumps " 
as elucidating the topography, but their 
views are not acceptable to science, as they 
are not capable of proof. It seems sure that 

19 



20 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

the brain and nervous system have the final 
word in the manifestation of mental processes, 
but they derive their power from every portion 
of the body, although in varying degrees. 

We also know, as said before, that the 
mind is intimately associated with the body, 
and the body with the mind. They cannot 
act independently, even if they appear to. 
When, for example, the brain is diseased or 
injured, in fatigue, in various bodily diseases, 
even laymen can see that there is some im- 
pairment of one or more of the mental facul- 
ties. Prolonged overwork may cause at 
least temporary inefficiency of the mind. 
In the delirium of typhoid, all the senses 
may be overpowered. In organic diseases 
of the brain, and in epilepsy, there occur 
marked emotional deteriorations, disturb- 
ances of speech, impairment of memory, 
weakness of will, defective judgment, yield- 
ing to morbid impulses, and abnormal 
conduct. 

Marked irritability may arise from in- 
adequate food or digestive disturbances, 



TTKe Kingdom of tKe Mind 21 

just as a feeling of satisfaction, contentment, 
and benevolence may follow a good dinner. 
As an army is said to march on its stomach, 
so the mind exerts its full and proper sway 
only when well nourished. We do not mean 
that good feeding and perfect nutrition are 
in themselves all-sufficient. "Man shall not 
live by bread alone/ ' even if it be "the staff 
of life." It must gather its sustenance from 
various, even universal sources, as will ap- 
pear later. 

The mind is a complex, a collective word, 
embracing all the physical, intellectual, and 
moral qualities man possesses. It receives 
from everything in and outside the body 
constant impressions, things seen, heard, felt, 
which are, to some extent at least, recorded, 
assimilated, and co-ordinated. Figuratively, 
it may be regarded as a central station, 
where all the wires meet, both those with 
incoming and outgoing messages. Not all 
impressions are vivid enough to rise into 
consciousness and gain recognition, as not 
all have the same intensity, but they come 



22 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

in just the same. It would be impossible to 
enumerate them — such myriads — and some 
form of exclusion comes to our aid, or we 
could not recognize anything. In other 
words, we often select the impressions we 
desire, or they select us. Many impressions 
in time fail to touch us, from habit or fre- 
quency. For example, for hours we may not 
hear the ticking of the clock, or the chime of 
the hours, when absorbed in work or con- 
versation. 

Each mind is in a way an independent 
kingdom, with no fixed boundaries. Like all 
other kingdoms, it has a beginning, a growth, 
a system, and a decline. It may be insigni- 
ficant or very extensive. Its tributaries are 
the various functions and powers of the body, 
and the relations with other minds and 
bodies. Hence we must always consider 
man first as an individual, and second as a 
social being. Moreover he sustains another 
very important relation — to "the infinite and 
eternal power, outside (and inside as well) 
himself, which makes for righteousness"; 



TKe Kingdom of tHe Mind 23 

which power, we, who speak English, call 
God. We, like the " untutored Indian, may 
see Him in the clouds and wind," or "in the 
deep unfathomable mines of never-failing 
skill"; in the " spacious firmament' ' and 
"spangled heavens"; in the majestic oak or 
the "wee, crimson-tipt flower"; in the noblest 
or the lowest man who ever lived. 

Hence man, to maintain his kingdom, must 
discharge his duties to all — to himself, his 
family, his neighbour, his town, his state, 
and his God. A kingdom can never be 
powerful and prosperous which tries to 
establish more than one, and that the only 
standard of righteousness. There cannot 
be two or more kinds of truth, or honour, or 
honesty. Moral qualities, to be moral, 
cannot be like the eggs of to-day — "fresh," 
"strictly fresh," etc., "as advertised." 

A kingdom isolated from every other king- 
dom — with a Chinese wall, without gates, 
as its boundary, cannot be a complete king- 
dom. Our means and modes of communica- 
tion should be many and varied. Our minds 



24 THe Kingdom of tHe Mind 

associate with other minds through our 
bodies. What a miracle is speech, by which 
we can "warn, comfort and command," 
impart our love and sympathy, teach others 
what we know and learn what others know, 
in short, express our thoughts and feelings 
and wishes. And another miracle, the eye, 
with its wonderful and beautiful power to 
express at times thoughts which "lie too 
deep for tears." And the helping hand, ever 
ready to assist the weak, sick, and erring, 
and the foot, which carries us wherever duty 
and love call — are these not miracles? 

The mind, like the body, needs and must 
have periods of relaxation and rest. It 
cannot and should not be always at its high- 
est tension. Sleep alone is not sufficient — 
our waking hours need frequent intervals 
of repose, even if very brief, and change of 
work or diversion. Here each mind must 
establish its own rules and regulations. 
"Eight hours for work, eight hours for re- 
freshment, and eight hours for sleep" is a 
good general working rule, but some varia- 



THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 25 

tions are required by one's particular avoca- 
tion. All rules, all regulations herein given 
are to be understood as applied to those who 
perform some productive work. Drones are 
apparently inevitable. They, however, like 
Josh Billing's loafers, "only count in an 
epidemic,' ' and not always then. 

Our kingdom must have life, movement, 
progress. Constant motion is as necessary 
to the mind as to the body. Not to go for- 
ward is to go backward. All deeds are not, 
and cannot be striking. ' ' The humble round, 
the daily task may furnish all we wish or ask." 
A servant was sure she had got religion be- 
cause she "swept under the mats." Long- 
fellow speaks of "battle-fields, where thou- 
sands die to lift one hero into fame." Where 
would the hero be without his thousands? 

The daily cheerful performance of duty, 
however monotonous; the "patient continu- 
ance in well-doing"; promptness, constancy, 
reliability, and service, these make up our 
life. "It is the sum of slight services and 
insignificant actions that make up human 



26 TKe Kingdom of tHe Mind 

welfare. It is not the few striking actions 
which make up the happiness and progress 
of mankind, but rather the quickly forgotten 
details which, taken separately, seem insig- 
nificant. The worth of a man is in propor- 
tion to the love given him by those with 
whom he lives and works daily. To be a 
good neighbour is the first essential. And 
one cannot be a good neighbour, a good 
business man, a good teacher, a good writer, 
unless one is first of all a good man." 1 

Man then is a complex creature, with 
mind, body, and soul, each supreme in its 
own sphere, and each, in this world, depend- 
ent on the others. Much is said of the 
influence of the mind over the body, less of 
the influence of the body over the mind, and 
still less, because we know less, about the 
reciprocal influences of soul, mind, and body. 
What is said must to a considerable degree 
be figurative. "Behold, I speak to you in 
parables." We know enough to enable us to 
live in this world, to do our duty, to serve, 

x Edward Howard Griggs. 



TKe Kingdom of tKe Mind 27 

to command, and to obey. We are able to 
communicate with our fellows. We can 
progress, or retrograde. We can try to make 
the most of our talents, or we can bury them. 
If we love our neighbour as ourself we will 
learn to cultivate to the full every power, 
function, quality we have, both of mind and 
body, in order that we therewith may the 
better serve our neighbour and ourselves. 



IV 

PERCEPTION 

Having eyes see ye not, and having ears hear ye not? 
And do you not remember? — Christ, Mark 8, 18. 

Hamlet. Do you see yonder cloud that's almost in 
shape of a camel? 

Polonius. By the mass, and 'tis like a camel, indeed. 
Hamlet. Methinks it is like a weasel. 
Polonius. It is backed like a weasel. 
Hamlet. Or, like a whale. 
Polonius. Very like a whale. 

— Shakespeare. 

C VERYTHING we know or learn or feel 
-*— ' comes to us by means of our special 
and general senses; sight, hearing, touch, 
smell, taste, heat, cold, pain, position, and 
absence or impairment of any of these hamper 
us. Hence, unless we perceive things, we 
can have no mind. Perception, the ability 
to acquire and recognize the properties of 
objects, is the basis of all mental activity, 
and must be the first mental faculty studied. 

28 



Perception 29 

The infant reaches indiscriminately for 
an orange and the moon. It has no concep- 
tion of space, distance, size, or other qualities. 
Let us consider an orange. It is spherical, 
yellow, sweet, and juicy (we hope) ; it has a 
rind and pulp and, sometimes, seeds. It has 
a flavour and an odour; it is fair to look upon, 
it is palatable and refreshing; it came from 
a beautiful blossom, which might have appro- 
priately, in former days, decorated a bride; 
it has ministered unto the sick and gratified 
the well ; it has size and weight and many other 
qualities; it brings to our minds thoughts 
of sunny Italy, Florida, California; of large 
plantations; of a host of cultivators; and of 
attractive and tempting displays in fruit 
stores. Now all these ideas, and many more 
aspects of the subject, did not come to us 
all at once. All dimensions, all attributes, 
all processes — in short, everything now per- 
ceived, received names in bygone days — long 
ago. 

When therefore we perceive an orange, 
we hardly realize all the percepts which go 



30 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

to its making. We do not stop to analyse 
them, although we usually automatically 
associate some of them, as sweet or sour, 
dear or cheap, ripe or unripe. We also use 
ideas and memory, and judgment and voli- 
tion, and experience various emotions and 
longings when we perceive an orange. When 
our mental faculties have attained their full 
status much of our mental action becomes 
automatic, but during their evolution, per- 
cepts must be reckoned singly. We must 
creep before we can walk or run. 

Before going further it should be under- 
stood that the word perception simply indi- 
cates a process, and not a mechanism. It 
has an existence, but not a specific location. 
It depends on various mechanisms, in and 
outside the body — the nervous, circulatory, 
respiratory and digestive systems, on the 
muscles and organs, and on the senses. It 
means at its highest value good eyesight, 
sure hearing, sensitive touch, a sound body, 
and a normal brain. It rests upon attention, 
impressibility, receptiveness, and discrimina- 



Perception 31 

tion, and upon the vividness and intensity 
of the impression, and depends on memory 
for recognition. 

We must remember that vision is not abso- 
lutely accurate — we do not perceive all parts 
and details of an object equally clearly. 
There are sounds our ears cannot hear, 
odours and flavours we cannot distinguish; 
and there are forces, waves known and some 
as yet undiscovered, which can only be 
recognized and appreciated by means of 
instruments of precision, and then only by 
trained and skilled observers. Our sensa- 
tions of taste and smell are very weak in 
comparison with some animals, and rapidly 
disappear. Five minutes after we have 
begun to watch a night-blooming cactus we 
no longer perceive its at first almost over- 
powering perfume. Our organic sensations 
are usually, and mercifully hidden from us, 
save in periods of functioning as in the de- 
mand for food, or removal of excretions. 

But perception is not limited to purely 
physical impressions and objects. It has a 



32 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

higher sphere — the reception and assimilation 
of the mental forces and activities of others, 
and the recognition of the structure of the 
universe. It appreciates the varying seasons, 
the sun and moon and stars, the wonders of 
day and night, of sunshine and clouds, 
mountains and valleys, rocks and rills, bab- 
bling brooks, beautiful rivers, and mighty 
oceans, plants and trees and grass and flowers : 
in a word, all inanimate nature. Music, art, 
poetry, literature, science come within its ken. 
Unless our perceptive faculty is keen, we 
shall lack knowledge of our fellows. Char- 
acter, disposition, temperament, are not 
shown by conduct alone. Much may be 
learned by observation of the face. The 
eyes are often telltale in their various move- 
ments and expressions. 

I trow that countenance cannot lie 
Whose thoughts are legible in the eye. 1 

The movements of the lips and mouth 
often reveal much. A shrug of the shoulders 

1 Matthew Roy don, Astrophyl. 



Perception 33 

or a lifting of the eyebrows may condemn a 
man as surely as the spoken word. " Si- 
lence' ' with or without gestures, "is vocal if 
we listen well." Perception also can learn 
much from a man's actions, which sometimes 
speak louder than words. Words may de- 
ceive, but conduct never. 

The faculty of perception is variously 
developed in different individuals, according 
to age, training, and power of concentration. 
It can be and is modified by impairment 
of any given sense, by disease, fatigue, pre- 
occupation, prejudices, and emotions. In- 
adequate stimulation may impair it — as 
diminished vividness and intensity of the ex- 
ternal or internal stimulus. A tallow candle 
gives less light than an arc lamp. During 
sleep our perceptive mechanisms are at their 
lowest capacity, the intensity of stimuli and 
the power of reception varying even here. 
That perception is not wholly abolished dur- 
ing sleep is proved by dreams, some of which 
are so vivid or terrifying that we remember 
them when we awake. 



34 THe Kingdom of tHe Mind 

Perception is often deceived, either wil- 
fully or unwittingly. Take a mirage, for 
instance. The man lost in the desert sees a 
beautiful river in the distance, and rushes 
towards it, only to meet his death. Here 
there is a real vision, but a lying one. Two 
other disturbances of perception should be 
noted, as they are very important — illusions 
and hallucinations. An illusion is a falsifi- 
cation of a real object. One sees or hears or 
feels something which is there, but interprets 
it incorrectly. The writer, when a boy, on a 
misty, foggy night, on a lonely street, saw 
before him apparently an elephant, of colossal 
size, moving his head up and down, as ele- 
phants do. This on a day when a circus had 
come to town. On approaching very cau- 
tiously he found it was Dr. Howe's horse and 
buggy. The elephantine movements were 
due to those of the horse and buggy. Illu- 
sions may also be purely mental or moral, 
and we sometimes cherish them. 

Hallucinations are imaginary perceptions 
of things which are not present, or which are 



Perception 35 

impossible; there is no recognizable external 
stimulus. "The visual disturbances of al- 
coholics are pure hallucinations/' 1 An in- 
ebriate once asked the late Thomas Reed 
where he could find a cab. "Go down two 
blocks and one block to the right. You will 
see two cabs. Take the front one — there 
is no other, " was the reply. It is often hard 
to dispel our illusions, but infinitely more so 
to conquer hallucinations, and usually impos- 
sible. They cling like the old man of the 
mountain to Sinbad. Said a relative of an 
insane man : "The doctor says he will be well 
as soon as he gets rid of his hellish notions" — 
not a bad paraphrase, after all. 

Perception then furnishes the raw materials 
which are made into wondrous fabrics by 
the other mental faculties. Alone it can do 
nothing. With the formation of ideas, the 
aid of judgment, the inspiration of the emo- 
tions and the direction of the will, it can do 
all mortal man can ask or even think. Let 
us therefore proceed on our way. 

1 Kraepelyn, Psychiatry. 



CONSCIOUSNESS — ORIENTATION — ATTENTION 

Conscious of himself and his merits he dared all that 
may become a man. — Old Chronicle. V 

East is East, and West is West. — Kipling. 

Stop — look— listen!— -Author unknown. 

T"THE order we have assumed in the dis- 
* cussion of the mental faculties is purely 
arbitrary. It must not be forgotten — it 
must be reiterated — that these faculties are 
processes, and processes only. They depend 
on each other as well as on all the physical 
properties and powers of our bodies. Mental 
action has been regarded by some psycholo- 
gists as a secretion of the brain, just as the 
gastric juice is a secretion of the stomach. 
This, however, is no place for discussions or 
speculations, nor for disquisitions on anatomy, 

36 



Consciousness— Attention 37 

physiology, chemistry, or neurology, or even 
psychology. The aim is simply to convey 
in plain language, devoid of technical terms, 
a survey of the Kingdom of the Mind — its 
capacities and its resources — that we may 
know how to be masters of ourselves. 

Consciousness is not a fixed thing, with 
fixed boundaries. It varies in degree in 
different men, and in the same man. It 
may be, and is clouded by various physical 
conditions, as fatigue, pre-occupation, sleep, 
and disease. It depends for its full and 
unfettered function, on a healthy state both 
of mind and body. It is difficult to define 
in terms of precision. Consciousness is a 
11 state of being aware of our mental acts 
and states," and "it reveals to us our personal 
identity." 1 Perhaps this statement will 
serve as well as any. "I know that I am I, 
and that you are you." I recognize my own 
individuality: that which distinguishes me 
from every other human being who ever 
lived, though made like them of the same 

x Century Dictionary. 



38 TKe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

materials, and having in large degree the 
same general features. 

But no one, however conscious he is of his 
distinct individuality, can be conscious of his 
entire personality at once. He knows that 
he is living, can move to and fro, can con- 
verse, can work or play, read or write; that 
he breathes, has a circulation, eyes, and ears. 
But he is not aware of, and does not contin- 
ually notice all these. He uses conscious- 
ness in sections, which however can always, 
if need arises, be put into communication 
with one or all of the mental processes. At 
any given moment, when awake, conscious- 
ness, like sight or hearing, is focused on one 
thing or one group. 

We cannot tell the exact period when the 
child perceives the dawn of consciousness, 
as we remember nothing of our very early 
years. Some of us cannot realize when it 
begins to lose its vividness as senility ap- 
proaches. In sleep we have what is called 
a sub-consciousness, but the very fact that 
we are asleep prevents us from attaining a 



Consciousness — -Attention 39 

precise and exact and unerring knowledge 
of this state. We do not know when we fall 
asleep, and on awaking we are sometimes 
confused or bewildered for a few moments. 
Injuries and disease, either mental or physical, 
may abolish in part or whole our conscious- 
ness for a time. 

Nevertheless, we are conscious enough for 
practical purposes, or we could not do any- 
thing. We know where we are, and we know 
more or less of "the kingdoms of this world/ ' 
We are conscious of many things; the beau- 
ties and terrors of nature; of law and order, 
of the conduct of life, of our own powers and 
limitations. We realize what goes on about 
us in our daily lives. Without consciousness 
we would be lost in an ocean of nothingness. 
Even if consciousness be but an idea, that 
idea is consciousness. 

Orientation may be regarded as a phase 
of memory, inasmuch as if we did not re- 
member we could not truly be conscious. 
But it may just as well be considered as a 
part, and a very large part of consciousness. 



40 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

The term comes from the supposed origin of 
life in what in olden times, "when the world 
was flat," was called the East. In religious 
and other ceremonies we turn to the East. 
The East has become embodied in history, 
and tradition, and custom, and, as we must 
have some name or symbol for everything, 
orientation is as good as any. 

Orientation, as now used, means our rela- 
tions to time, place, and person. It is taking 
our bearings both in our mental, spiritual, 
and physical environment. It is to the mind 
what the compass is to the ship. It keeps 
us on our course of life. It enables us to 
recognize our family, relatives, and friends; 
our place of abode, and that of others; the 
time — day, month, and year. It is, or 
should be, with us in every waking hour, 
and enables us to sleep in safety. By means 
of it we can cross oceans or deserts, find our 
way in the crooked and narrow streets of 
some cities, and even (sometimes) find out 
where to take a trolley car for a given desti- 
nation. By it we learn how to handle books 



Consciousness — Attention 41 

and read charts, and where to look for all 
sources of information and inspiration. 

It teaches us to be careful about our goings 
forth; to look ahead, to go slowly and care- 
fully when fogs obscure our way, or when 
icebergs at night may crush us; to realize 
where our place is ; to know where our neigh- 
bour is ; to recognize fitting times and seasons. 
If all our other mental processes are working 
correctly, it is of no avail, unless we are ori- 
ented. Hence any degree of disorientation, 
like any abatement of consciousness, is a 
misfortune and a handicap. 

Some animals and some birds excel man 
in orientation for place. How they find their 
way, sometimes over a whole continent, is a 
mystery. For several years the same robins 
return to the lawn in front of my dwelling- 
place. They leave early in the Fall and 
return in March. They always nest in the 
same tree, a very large, symmetrical, and 
beautiful maple. How do they know? Sci- 
entists say that animals cannot think. A 
college professor has just said that none of 



42 TKe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

the bodies of those who went down in the 
Titanic could rise to the surface, and spoke 
learnedly of depth and pressure! But as a 
matter of fact many bodies did rise, and 
were recovered. We have far to go, and 
much to learn, before we can say truthfully, 
that we know. 

brain exact, that in thy scales 
Canst weigh the sun and never err, 
For once thy patient science fails, 
One problem still defies thy art ; — 
Thou never canst compute for her 
The distance and diameter 
Of any simple human heart. 1 

Therefore, as Uriah Heep would say, "let 
us be humble/ ' and use our faculty of orient- 
ation, if we cannot explain it. Let us try 
always to aim for the right goal. 

Attention is absolutely essential for pro- 
gress or success in any direction. It is "an 
active direction of the mind upon an object 
of sense or of thought, giving it relative or 
absolute importance/ ' It is the ability to 

x Lowell, Studies for Two Heads. 



Consciousness — Attention 43 

concentrate or focus the mind. It is the fun- 
damental factor in memory. While it de- 
pends largely on the intensity of the stimuli 
which are constantly acting upon us, it is 
also more or less under the direction and 
control of the will. Accidental stimuli may 
arouse it. 

In ordering companies into line, the cap- 
tain says: "Company, attention." This at 
once compels the soldier to listen intently 
in order to understand the commands. He 
must not only listen, but listen with all his 
might, and at the same time bring all his 
other forces, mental and physical, into action. 
No mental action can exist without an im- 
pulse to perform some similar or correlated 
bodily movement. From our birth to our 
grave, we depend upon the process of atten- 
tion. In fact, it is perhaps one of the first, 
if not the very first process which we expe- 
rience. It depends for its force chiefly upon 
the observing eye and the listening ear. 

Attention varies in degree with the indi- 
vidual. It can be trained and developed 



44 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

along certain lines, or it may be lessened by 
intentional disuse, or by laziness, ignorance, 
and indifference. Other things being equal, 
the one who increases and strengthens his 
power of attention, and his ability to fix it, 
is most useful both to himself and others, 
and the most successful. Newton's discov- 
ery of the principle of gravitation is a well 
known instance of mental concentration and 
fixation of attention. He had to attend to 
the fall of the apple, before he could theorize. 
Our attention is often attracted by certain 
external and internal stimuli, to objects or 
processes of which we have only partial 
cognizance, or which have been forced into 
the background by more intense stimuli. 
It is often called forth or aroused by curiosity. 
A stranger tried various indirect methods of 
ascertaining how another passenger in the 
car had lost his arm, but the man kept on 
reading his paper. Finally the stranger said : 
"Excuse me, but I see you have lost your 
right arm." Reader, looking around, says: 
4 'By Jove, so I have." Goes on reading. 



Consciousness — Attention 45 

Attention may be and often is dominated 
by our individual tendencies. We are apt 
to avoid what is not liked, or disagreeable, 
or painful. Our attention may be blunted, 
like any other tool or faculty. It may be 
retarded, or passive. It may be distracted 
by various accidents, or by unusual associa- 
tions of ideas. Tristram Shandy attributed 
all his misfortunes to his mother's distracti- 
bility. Another disorder of attention is its 
complete absorption in some given affair, 
often trivial, to the exclusion of more impor- 
tant events. This is " absent-mindedness/ ' 
which often leads to curious or even un- 
pleasant consequences. An extreme example 
is that of the scholar who once, on retiring, 
is said to have put his clothes carefully to 
bed, and hung himself over the chair ! 

Finally, attention, consciousness, orienta- 
tion, and perception are prerequisites for 
the development and preservation of memory. 
"Wisdom is the principle thing, therefore 
get wisdom; and with all thy getting, get 
understanding.' ' 



VI 

MEMORY 

Precept upon precept: line upon line, line upon line: 
here a little, and there a little. — Isaiah. 

Memory is the purveyor of Reason. — Rambler. 

OTRICTLY speaking there is no such 
^ thing as memory — it is simply a term 
expressing in a general way our ability to 
recall or re-create impressions made upon us 
by past or present happenings. We speak 
of persons as having a good or bad memory, 
and this is well enough for everyday use, 
where we often find one word convenient for 
expressing much; compressing or condensing 
a phrase or a system or a history. It is not 
a place — a storehouse — a vault — in which we 
keep our stores of knowledge. It is rather 
a condition, which is exceedingly valuable, 
and necessary for the full fruition of our 

other mental processes. 

4 6 



Memory 47 

What any man has, therefore, is not 
memory, but a series of memories, acquired 
by more or less labour, and only retained by 
labour, as a rule. Every impression made 
upon us is supposed to leave its picture upon 
our brain, but this impression gradually 
fades away, unless it is very powerful, or 
has been frequently repeated. Sometimes 
long-forgotten occurrences "pop into our 
head," without any apparent associations 
of ideas which we can trace. Memories 
like these are not practical; they cannot be 
depended upon. Our memories often play 
strange antics; they sometimes fail to appear 
when we most need them; we really, not- 
withstanding the vast amount of discussion 
concerning their genesis, function, and pro- 
perties, know very little about them. "If 
we knew what memory is, we could probably 
tell exactly what mind is." 1 

Webster says that "memory is the faculty 
of the mind by which it retains the knowledge 
of previous thoughts or events; the actual and 

x L. Pierce Clark. 



48 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

distinct retention and recognition of past ideas 
in the mind; as events that excite little atten- 
tion are apt to escape from memory." A 
given memory depends then on something 
which goes before, some word or deed or 
action; it is based upon the power of percep- 
tion, the possession of consciousness and 
orientation, and the fixation of attention; 
and it must be recalled often enough to keep 
itself perennial, to be thoroughly assimilated, 
to become a part of our very being. Other- 
wise it would be a caprice and not a verity. 

An act of memory is a dual process: it 
involves and depends upon two distinct ele- 
ments — impressibility and retentiveness — 
and these two in turn are absolutely de- 
pendent on whatever furnishes the given 
impression. Thus here as everywhere in 
the kingdom of the mind, we find ourselves 
travelling in a circle. We can start anywhere 
on this circle, and go forward or backward — 
in the end it is the same. 

We all have a dual set of memories. First 
— a set of general memories, common to man- 



Memory 49 

kind, which help to keep us alive. We re- 
member various dangers and their safeguards; 
some of the guide-posts which set us on the 
right way; where and how to obtain food 
and shelter; to distinguish between friends 
and enemies; to orient ourselves; to count and 
reckon; and to know the names of the varied 
elements which enter into our daily lives. 
Both men and animals learn to know and 
remember these things, in greater or less 
degree. 

Next, each individual must have a line of 
special memories, adapted to and demanded 
by his particular avocation or position. The 
physician must remember his anatomy and 
physiology and chemistry; the varieties and 
causes of disease; the laws of hygiene and 
sanitation; how to treat the sick, and how 
to keep the well man well. He must be able 
to call on his mental resources at any time, 
in emergencies, even in face of his own possible 
death. He must keep up with the times, 
the advance of science, the latest theories, 
whether of germs or vaccines. The special- 
4 



50 TKe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

ist must remember that the integrity of the 
sense and organ of vision does not depend 
solely on the condition of the eye, and the 
optic nerve and tracts, but upon all parts of 
the body. A specialist who knows only the 
eye, is not the one whom I knowingly would 
consult. He must have two sets of memories. 
Impressibility varies in degree, extent, 
and intensity. Sometimes we fail to hear 
loud noises, while the " still small voice" 
impresses itself on us permanently. We are 
all more readily affected by whatever we 
think concerns our own welfare, or the well- 
being of those we love; by our own interests 
and pursuits. Even so, impressions must 
be repeated again and again to produce any 
lasting result, and they also must be vivid 
and intense. We also know that we must, 
if we are to get on in the world, learn certain 
hard things, as spelling and arithmetic and 
writing, and this means hard work, occasional 
tears, and, formerly, beatings, to some of us. 
The old education had certain advantages 
— it made better spellers. During the past 



Memory 51 

twenty-five years I have found that a large 
number of graduates from colleges and uni- 
versities cannot, or at any rate do not, spell 
correctly. Now people add instead of sub- 
tracting, in reckoning change — when both 
ought to be familiar. "Thirty-seven and 
three and ten and fifty — one dollar." Trol- 
lope said: "It's dogged as does it." The 
reader may remember how Marjorie Flem- 
ing, wondrous child favourite of Scott, said: 
"As for seven times seven, it's perfectly 
devilish." Please do not believe that I wish 
to disparage any real and effectual simplifica- 
tion of our means of acquiring knowledge. 

Retentiveness also has different degrees, 
but it depends on the power of impressibility 
and on incessant repetitions. With this 
combination we can remember seven times 
seven, that fire burns, that food and drink 
are necessary, that clothing has to be worn 
as a concession to custom, that we should 
behave with decorum and propriety, that 
we should be "on our job," and that we 
must respect the law. We also learn why 



52 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

we should do certain things, and leave others 
undone. 

Memories furnish us many of our delights 
as well as advantages. Reminiscences of 
our past life, and recognition of our present, 
bring to us confident tomorrows and treasures 
for our old age. Nature, art, books, scenes 
of travel, conversations, communing with 
dear friends — what would we be without 
them! The wise man will endeavour to lay 
up a large and varied store of memories which 
will comfort him in his declining years, thus 
affording a " durable satisf action." 

The value of memories, as well as their 
intensity and durability, varies with the 
individual, according to his education, sphere 
of interest, productiveness, and temperament. 
It also varies with the content of memories, 
or they may surge upon us, often against 
our wishes. We can to some extent train 
our memories, and make a selection. Our 
lines of memories depend largely upon our 
conduct. We repeat then that man can 
remember certain fundamental things, as 



Memory 53 

the multiplication table, heat and cold, the 
value of coins, the nature of his surroundings, 
and all the essentials which are at the very 
basis of intelligent existence, provided his 
other mental and his bodily processes are 
in fair working order. By enlarging his 
mental and moral horizon beyond the mere 
necessities of existence, he can acquire many 
new, interesting, and profitable recollections 
which may and will add to mere living, grace 
and beauty and comfort and satisfaction. 
All these are within the reach of the poorest 
individual, if he will only open his eyes to 
see : wealth is not only not essential, but it is 
often a disadvantage, as we may see later. 

We must then cultivate memories inten- 
sively, constantly adding to our store, and 
safeguarding those we already have. We 
must also remember that certain dangers 
confront us, certain impairments or defects. 
Memories may fade away by disuse or infre- 
quent use, just as muscles may become flabby 
by lack of exercise. Certain diseases may 
impair or destroy them, and in old age, we 



54 TKe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

are apt to lose first our memories of recent 
happenings. This latter is not necessarily 
so. Witness Gladstone, Bigelow, and others, 
who at the close of very long and well-spent 
lives retained all their faculties to the very 
end. My grandfather was as bright and 
keen at ninety-five, as most men of thirty. 
He was in bed only two days before he 
" stopped living/ ' and was conscious to the 
last. Let us then so live that our mental 
treasures will neither rust nor wear out. 

Finally, memories depend upon and really 
are associations of ideas, which means think- 
ing or thought, which we will proceed to 
consider, bearing in mind always that we 
are not involving in our study any meta- 
physical or psychological subtleties, but 
simply relying on the seeming facts of every- 
day life and experience. Not that psycho- 
logy is to be disregarded. Rather it should 
be valued, and the reader is urged to study 
it, in some of its phases, and in its attempts, 
thus far not successful, to adequately explain 
mind. It is also to be understood, as will 



Memory 55 

be seen in conclusion, that the reader who 
really cares to conserve his kingdom will 
frequently consult his physician whenever 
in doubt or need, and, having done so, co- 
operate with him intelligently. 



VII 

THINKING 

Thinking is not an automatic function of the brain 
as breathing is of the lungs. For there are many persons 
who do not think at all, and yet manage to exist. Their 
lives are merely a series of sense-impressions which serve 
to stimulate certain habitual activities within a confined 
range of daily routine. . . . Thinking is an accomplish- 
ment — which assumes always a pronounced individual 
quality. — Hibben, A Defence of Prejudice. 

Careful and sustained thinking of any kind, in any 
terms, abstract or concrete, is the hardest work that 
people find to do. — John Fiske and Others, quoted by 
Charles Edward Park. 

They are never alone that are accompanied with noble 
thoughts. — Sir Philip Sidney, Arcadia. 

TTHE process of thought is complex, and 
* yet in a way simple. We wish to reach 
a certain end — to attain a definite goal. In 
other words we have ideas which we wish to 
express or contemplate. We must have 

56 



THinKing 57 

names, pictures, symbols, hieroglyphics, or 
some emblems which can represent ideas. 
We must also have more than one idea in 
order to think. "We cannot think of two 
— just two — just the abstract property two. 
The mind at once asks, two what? men, or 
horses, or ships?" 1 It is conceivable that a 
man might have only one idea, but in that 
case he could not be considered as thinking. 
He would be an automaton. 

Like perception, attention, memory, and 
will, the word idea is difficult, if not impos- 
sible to define. The writer will not attempt 
it, simply giving some of its conditions and 
functions, or trying to. In everyday life 
and in literature the word is daily and hourly 
used, and we all can understand to some 
extent what is meant. 

Now ideation, "the capacity of the mind 
for forming ideas, or the act or exercise of 
this power, by which objects of sense are 
apprehended and retained as objects of 
thought," 2 is of course only one faculty, and 

1 Charles Edward Park. a Webster. 



58 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

is dependent on or indissolubly connected 
with all the other faculties which we group 
together as mind, and, like them, it depends 
for its origin and its value on the condition 
of the body — through which alone it can 
receive and give. (We purposely turn aside 
from all metaphysical speculations and theo- 
ries — from telepathy and thought transfer- 
ence and waves and vibrations — because we 
do not know.) But we can mention some 
of the elements which we all can realize as 
essential for ideation — for thought. 

Thought then depends, like memory, upon 
impressibility and retentiveness. We must 
first of all perceive things ; know or recognize 
what we perceive; and be able to group our 
percepts, to pay attention to them, and to 
remember them. We must also be conscious 
of them. Moreover, if it be true that as a 
man thinketh, so is he, it is very important 
for us to think rightly and, so far as in us 
lies, direct our thoughts into safe and sure 
channels. 

Even five minutes daily devoted to read- 



Thinking 59 

ing, and digesting and assimilating what we 
read, will wonderfully enrich us. Everyone 
has some moments when he is alone, with a 
bit of leisure, Occupy them by at least one 
uplifting thought. When some great idea, 
some felicitous phrase, some pregnant para- 
graph, some helpful suggestion comes to 
your notice, commit it to memory, or write 
it down. Keep an extract book, to note 
what helps you. 

The most difficult thing in the world is to 
comprehend one's own train of thought. 
Such myriads of impressions surge upon us 
during our waking hours and even when we 
sleep — they come so rapidly — their intensity 
is so varied — that only a few out of the num- 
ber really are registered and assimilated. 
Incessant repetitions are essential for per- 
manent retention. Ultimately each of us ac- 
cumulates a fund of ideas. If this were not 
so we would never advance — we could not 
transact our special or our everyday affairs. 
Much of our thought is like walking — we 
first creep, then stand, then take a few steps 



60 The Kingdom of tKe Mind 

— slowly and carefully, concentrating our 
attention on this to the exclusion of every- 
thing else, and finally after much labour and 
practice, we succeed in walking without any 
special volition, and can even carry on an 
intricate train of thought or an earnest 
conversation, without any attention to our 
locomotion, unless some accident happens. 
So with thought. A few hundred words 
serve the average man, while the latest dic- 
tionary claims to contain four hundred 
thousand. The scholar has a larger vocabu- 
lary, but outside his special sphere he does 
not much exceed the average man in the 
number of words he uses. We all abbreviate ; 
we teach a phrase or even a single word to 
convey much, as in slang, in Wall Street, in 
business, and so on. 

In fact, much of our thought becomes 
automatic — we have a greater or less stock 
of g 'ready for use" ideas, which serves us 
fairly well for ordinary conversation, business, 
and correspondence. Even when we retire 
for meditation, we will find that we largely 



THinKing 61 

use "stock M ideas. We are also apt to be dis- 
tracted by external influences, or disturbed 
by the noisy talk of bystanders. In other 
words, our attention wanders, or strange or 
unhappy associations of ideas may derail us. 

Man has various ways of communicating 
his thoughts — by speech, writing, gestures, 
pictures, symbols, and signs, and by the same 
means he may, sometimes, conceal his real 
thoughts. 1 In fact, he can lie. He was not 
made to live alone, but to associate with his 
fellows. He needs to give and receive ideas 
in order to be of service. He also, willing 
or otherwise, purposely or instinctively, 
comes into some form of relationship to a 
Higher Power than himself. Hence various 
ways of thinking arise. 

There is such a thing as absolutely pure 
thought, a straightaway progress to the goal. 
We are thirsty, we remember where we can 
relieve our thirst, and we go thither — but to 
a fountain, we trust, and not to a saloon. 

1 Talleyrand said that language was given to man to 
enable him to conceal his thoughts. 



62 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

If we think alcohol will relieve our thirst 
better than pure cool water, our thought is 
incorrect and loses its purity. Literature 
abounds in examples of pure, lucid, clear, 
and direct thought. For example, study any 
of the parables, which for conciseness (not 
a single superfluous word), completeness of 
meaning, and felicity and simplicity of dic- 
tion, have never been equalled. Or the 
Beatitudes, or the wondrous chapter on 
Faith, Hope, and Love — where can we find 
better models for ordering, clarifying, and 
embellishing our thoughts ! 

Thought should be direct, but we are not 
always in a hurry, and can or should some- 
times "take the long path " to our goal. We 
may notice many beautiful as well as useful 
things in our journey. In so-called "busi- 
ness aff airs' ' the shortest and easiest route is 
necessary to most of us. And yet prosperity 
does not always come to the most hu ried 
and "short route" men. The Oriental's 
methods of thinking and doing may teach 
us somewhat of wisdom : their patience, which 



THinKing 63 

to us seems apathy ; their simplicity, so oppo- 
site to our complexity; their calm repose, to 
our hurry and "speed mania ,, ; their power 
of contemplation to our dislike of introspec- 
tion. We may, however, still find in this 
country some counterparts. You may re- 
call the story of the Englishman, in one of 
our country stores, who found several rustics 
sitting evening after evening on barrels and 
boxes around the stove. Asking one of them 
what he did, he replied: "Sometimes we set 
and consider, and sometimes we just set." 

Automatic thinking may be necessary, 
but it becomes monotonous and enervating, 
if we have nothing more. How many times 
a day do we say and hear the same things — 
until we are heartily sick of them — however 
true they are. "It is very hot, or cold, or 
stormy. You are looking well or poorly. 
How are you? Where are you going? Are 
you writing? Show me. Gee whiz!" One 
of my comrades called everything delicious 
— from candy to cheese, pies to pickles, beef, 
bread, onions, beets, sauces, everything — 



64 The Kingdom of the Mind 

and he has for the rest of my life spoiled for 
me that rare word, which I had reserved for 
great occasions — a sacred word. What made 
his crime absolutely unpardonable, was his 
command of a very copious and rich vocabu- 
lary, the result of wide reading. For over 
thirty years I have been obliged to say "good 
morning' ' to nearly a thousand persons, until 
in sheer desperation I have learned many 
foreign terms for this noble greeting, and am 
now looking for some which prevail among 
various half-civilized and even savage peoples. 
I am still struggling with Polish, but have a few 
phrases at my command, as : Jakze sie masz, 
for ' ' How do you do ? ' ' — Dzien dobry — ' * good- 
morning, ' ' Dobry viecor — ' ' good evening. ' ' It 
is hard, but I hope "the muscular strength it 
gives to my jaw, will last the rest of my life." 

The moral of this is "enlarge and enrich 
your vocabulary/ ' — there are many ways 
of saying the same things. "As for the 
common things he said and did, he said and 
did them uncommonly." 1 Read and reread 

x Warner. 



THinKing 65 

books like Franklin's Autobiography; some 
of Xenophon's works, as his Management of a 
Farm and Household; or Sully's Memoirs; or 
Shakespeare; or Montaigne and Milton and 
Bacon; and do not forget the wondrous 
vigour, clearness, and beauty of the King 
James version of the Bible. The great poets 
should be studied also. Do not be afraid 
or ashamed to consult dictionaries, and to 
learn as many synonyms as possible. Noth- 
ing better enables one to perform his duties 
well, than the ability to express thoughts 
clearly and to the point. " Whatever may 
be the thing one wishes to say, there is only 
one phrase to express it, only one verb to 
animate it, and only one adjective to qualify 
it. One must seek then until one finds this 
phrase, this verb, and this adjective, and never 
be content with less." 1 

All really great writers and thinkers — ■ 
they who have become immortal — have con- 
sciously or unconsciously, cultivated a simple, 
clear, effective style. Their train of thought 

1 Guy de Maupassant. 



66 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

can be followed. Study Dyer's poem, at the 
beginning of this book. Recall Crashawe's 
famous one-line poem on the miracle of Cana : 
"The conscious water saw its God, and 
blushed/ ' How many can truly say they 
have really read the works of Dr. Johnson, 
who never used a short and simple word 
when he could find (and he always did) 
"words of learned length and thundering 
sound"; but Boswell is simply a delight. 
Compare Lincoln's Gettysburg speech with 
the interminable and unbearable prolixity 
and loquacity of some recent writers, whose 
long and redundant sentences sometimes fill 
a page or more. 

The process of thought is subject to dis- 
turbance, like our other faculties. It is often 
obscured or retarded by fatigue; distracted 
by interruptions or diversions ; and it is often 
weakened or paralysed by monotony of our 
work. It needs nourishment — mental food. 
It must not stand still, but always reach 
towards "fresh fields and pastures new." 
Hence the greater and more varied your 



Thinking 67 

lines of memory; the more you study man- 
kind and nature and art and literature; the 
more active your life, and the more righteous 
your conduct; the greater your hopes, the 
higher your aims — the more you will have 
to think about. 

Don't get into ruts in thinking. Try to 
interest yourself in all the great questions 
of the day. Try to love your neighbour, and 
tell him about it occasionally. Do not be 
afraid to express your thoughts. However 
lowly your position, you may help someone. 
Remember the fable of the lion and the 
mouse. Don't make a fetish of any given 
word or idea. Men have gone crazy, or 
committed crimes, from a mistaken idea of 
duty, or patriotism, or even religion. 

Think all you speak; but speak not all you 
think; 
Thoughts are your own; your words are so 
no more. 
Where Wisdom steers, wind cannot make you 
sink: 
Lips never err, when she does keep the door. x 
1 Delaune, Epigram, 



68 The Kingdom of the Mind 

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are 
true — honest — j ust — pure — lovely — and of 
good report; if there be any virtue, and if 
there be any praise, think on these things." 1 

x Author's name purposely withheld. 



VIII 

JUDGMENT 

You must use your own judgment on yourself. Great 
is the weight of conscience in deciding on your own virtues 
and vices. If that be taken away, all is lost. — Cicero. 

A sound discretion is not so much indicated by never 
making a mistake, as by never repeating it. — Bovee. 

The busy world shoves angrily aside 

The man who stands with arms akimbo set, 

Until occasion tells him what to do; 

And he who waits to have his task marked out, 

Shall die, and leave his errand unfulfilled. 

Lowell. 

JUDGMENT is hard to define, in any con- 
^ cise way. In the writer's view judg- 
ment is the capacity to estimate values, and 
the process as well. Everything we do or 
experience in life depends upon it if absolute 
success is to be achieved. It is the loftiest 
and most complicated of the mental faculties. 

69 



70 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

It is the final arbiter of our conduct. It puts 
us each in his own place. 

It enables us to know the correct relations 
of things; to travel in the right direction; 
to make the best of given circumstances; 
to use our talents wisely. It teaches mod- 
eration, tact, self-control, energy, integrity, 
faithfulness, thrift, economy. It stands al- 
ways ready to serve us, if we will allow it, 
and give it free play. 

Judgment, however, does not stand alone, 
issuing its dictates from some lofty throne. 
Rather is it a very part of us, of all that we 
are. It depends for its very existence on the 
other mental processes — perception, atten- 
tion, consciousness, memory, and ideation, 
and disturbance or impairment of any or all 
of these must impair or disturb the final 
conclusions formulated by judgment and 
reasoning. 

Judgment, which is also conscience, fixes, 
correlates, and administers every fact of 
experience, and thus directs our course. It 
shows the true meaning of life; the relation 



Judgment 71 

of the individual to himself, his neighbour, 
and his fellow-men; the difference between 
right and wrong; it enables him to use all 
his endowments and forces — mental, moral, 
and physical — in the most efficient way, and 
preserves him from error. All this, of course, 
if it has full play. 

Judgment may be modified by inadequate 
mental, moral, and physical development; 
by superstitions; by political, religious, and 
social convictions; by self-interest and pre- 
judices; by lack of emotional control; by 
anger, jealousy, envy, self-conceit, narrow- 
ness; by sudden impulses; and in great crises, 
A crowd of people may exert a very deep 
and even terrible effect upon our calmer judg- 
ment, often leading to horrifying excesses. 
The psychology of the crowd — the mob — 
has yet to be written. 

Judgment does not spring into existence 
suddenly, or at any given moment of life. 
It is a growth, which should never cease while 
life lasts. Correlated as it is with the other 
mental processes, it cannot force its way inde- 



72 THe Kingdom of tHe Mind 

pendently or apart from them. It is a sort 
of clearing-house for all our mental assets 
and liabilities. All the forces which influ- 
ence our life, from within and without, are 
at its command. 

The first fruits of judgment appear during 
childhood, and sometimes bitter lessons 
accompany its entry. Like Franklin's boy, 
the child may "pay dear, very dear, for its 
whistle." But it is worth it if the lesson 
is thoroughly learned. "The burnt child 
dreads the fire." Sometimes, at school, or 
even at home, 

The boding tremblers learn to trace 
The day's disasters in the morning face, 

Goldsmith. 

of parents or teachers. One of the chief 
supports of judgment is obedience to law — 
whether of nature, or nature's God. The 
child during its first seven years should be 
taught the value of strict obedience, not 
only in important things, but in trifles, if 
there are any trifles! Chesterton speaks of 
trifles as tremendous — and they are. After 



Judgment 73 

all it is the little things which make up life, 
for the most of us. At the same time impress 
on the child the importance of concentrating 
or fixing his attention. All commands, or- 
ders, wishes, or questions should be given in 
clear, distinct, easily comprehended language. 
Even infants can be taught to obey. 

Unhappy and unfortunate is the child 
who has always been humoured — who has 
never learned to obey fully and promptly. 
He is handicapped in his entry upon youth 
and manhood. He has not learned the utility 
and benefit of his elder's experience. Worst 
of all, he does not know how to rule himself. 
He cannot excel either in study or sports, 
unless he obeys. As no one is fit to com- 
mand if he has not first learned to obey, he 
must never expect to fill any but subordinate 
positions. Unless then he has fair judgment, 
and can recognize to some extent the relative 
positions of others, he cannot expect to 
"play on the regular team." 

Judgment also involves a knowledge of 
one's powers and responsibilities. The boy 



74 THe Kingdom of tHe Mind 

who runs races, or swims, or rows, must find 
out how much active and how much reserve 
strength he has. In his studies, he must 
discover his special aptitudes, and his indi- 
vidual tastes and propensities. If he does 
not, his schoolmates will soon enlighten him. 
He may and will get some hard knocks, but 
these will not hurt him. He must learn to 
give and take. 

Next he must learn courtesy, good man- 
ners, fair play, and the square deal, and by 
the latter I mean the real deal, and not the 
sort which has become a byword, and al- 
most a synonym for blatant hypocrisy. Good 
manners, true courtesy, are the most favour- 
able qualities one can possess, ranking 
equally with ability. They are not incom- 
patible with manliness — they rather adorn 
and emphasize it. They are the embodi- 
ment in our daily lives of the second great 
commandment and the Golden Rule. 

Again, one must learn what his duties are 
and to make those duties a pleasure. Most 
of us do not live on desert islands — we dwell 



Judgment 75 

in small or large communities as the case 
may be, and we must inevitably establish 
relations of some kind with those we meet, 
in the home, in society, in business, and in 
politics. Judgment is displayed or concealed 
according to the way in which we sustain 
all these relations. What is more attractive 
than a home where parents love and nur- 
ture the children, and where the children 
love, honour, and obey the parents? In 
associations with our fellows — not necessarily 
in Society with a big S — what is more charm- 
ing than consideration for the welfare of 
others; unselfishness, cordiality, helpfulness? 
In business what is more satisfactory to all 
concerned than promptness, efficiency, active 
interest and zeal, and constant efforts to 
make one's self more useful? The boy or 
man who does not keep one eye on the clock, 
but fixes both eyes on his business, is the 
most successful and the happiest. In politics, 
judgment should teach us that there is some 
good and some bad in each of us ; that all the 
virtues and abilities are not monopolized 



76 TKe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

by one party; that all men are not rascals — 
dishonest, grafters, unprincipled, enemies 
to law and order; that it is unmannerly, 
unprincipled, and unwise to abuse our oppo- 
nents, to call them bad names, to stigmatize 
their principles and conduct. ''Common 
decency forbids opprobrious language. It 
were happy for us if we could prevail upon 
ourselves to imagine that one who differs 
from us in opinion may possibly be an honest 
man/' 1 

Good judgment will save us from speaking 
or writing things which may reveal depths 
in our natures which we may not desire to 
have explored. Especially should one be- 
ware never to characterize another unfavour- 
ably, unless absolutely compelled to do so, 
as, for instance, in a court of law. We cannot 
possibly know all that another man holds in 
his heart and mind. We may think we know, 
but we may be mistaken. At the worst, let 
us reveal only his conduct, and leave his 
character to take care of itself. 

* Addison* 



Judgment 77 

Judgment is not, and should not be, limited 
to a correct knowledge and use of our re- 
sources. It must also recognize and enforce 
upon us a knowledge of our limitations. For 
lack of the latter, the fabled crow lost his 
piece of cheese. We do not all have the 
same talents, the same tastes, the same pro- 
clivities. The man who cannot recognize 
the intervals of the octave, who has little or 
no sense of rhythm, who "has no ear," 
should not expect to get his living as a musi- 
cian. The boy who is "slow at figures 1 ' 
will not make a good banker. It is there- 
fore well for everyone to reckon up from time 
to time both his capacity and his handicaps : 
to "take account of stock." This rule ap- 
plies both to mind and body. When we know 
ourselves, we can at 'least try to make the 
most of what we are. " Don't try to plough 
through a stump or rock — plough around 
them M ■ if you cannot remove them. 

As this is not a book of maxims, nor a 
strictly psychological treatise, all the many 

x Josh Billings. 



78 THe Kingdom of tHe Mind 

functions of judgment cannot be described 
or even catalogued. We may be pardoned 
for a few more words. Judgment enables 
us to select fitting times and opportunities; 
to do the right thing at the right time; to 
plan our daily or our life work; to take 
account regularly of our stock; to count the 
cost; to keep a level head; to correct our 
mistakes; to practice thrift; to confront 
dangers and emergencies calmly; to conserve 
and use all our resources aright; to cherish 
our strength and health, both of mind and 
body; to rule our kingdom; and, last but best 
of all, to serve. Using judgment as we should 
always in co-operation with our other facul- 
ties, we shall be fit for a useful manhood and 
a happy old age — making others, as well as 
ourselves, rejoice. 

Think what we are, and for what end designed; 
How we may best thro* life's long mazes wind; 
What we should wish for — how we may discern 
The bounds of wealth, and its true uses learn; 
How fix the portion which we ought to give 
To friends, relations, country — how to live 



Judgment 79 

As fits our station; and how best pursue 
What God has placed us in this world to do. 1 

Thus would I double my life's fading space, 
For he that runs it well, runs twice the race. 

And in this true delight, 
These unbought sports, this happy state, 
I would not fear nor wish my fate, 

But boldly say each night, 
Tomorrow let my sun his beams display, 
Or in clouds hide them; I have lived today. 

Cowley, A Wish. 

1 Persius, iii., 67. Quoted by Montaigne. 



IX 

EMOTIONS — FEELINGS 

"There is no fear in love, for perfect love casteth out 
fear." 

"Torn by conflicting emotions." 

What is nearest touches us most. The passions rise 
higher at domestic than imperial tragedies. — Johnson. 

A fellow-feeling makes one wondrous kind. — Garrick. 

C MOTIONS — like all other processes — are 
*— ' difficult to define, but easy to recognize. 
They are readily aroused, and necessarily so, 
by everything which occurs to us in our envi- 
ronment. They depend upon the processes 
of perception and attention; they must 
cross the " threshold of consciousness"; they 
are intimately connected with the asso- 
ciation of ideas — our train of thought; and 
they are concerned, either as a cause or a 

80 



Emotions — Feelings 8l 

result, with the state of our physical forces 
for the time being. 

We distinguish somewhat arbitrarily be- 
tween emotions and feelings. By emotions 
we here allude to all those forces or processes 
which apparently act first directly on our 
minds, and only secondarily on our bodies. 
By feelings we mean those impressions which 
act primarily on our bodies, the characteris- 
tic or secondary results reaching our intellect 
after a perceptible interval. This question 
has never been fully settled, but we must 
follow some order or system in our discus- 
sions. We must again recall to your atten- 
tion, that man is a vast complex — his mental, 
moral, and physical forces all working to- 
gether at the same time, but not all at any 
given time rising fully and clearly into 
consciousness. 

Emotions then are seemingly distinct 
processes, suddenly arising in consciousness 
which create in us or are connected with 
various sensations, which arouse either pleas- 
ure or pain. We perceive their source, and 



82 The Kingdom of tKe Mind 

recognize their character. We are moved to 
action by them, and sometimes in wrong 
directions. They often completely over- 
shadow, for a time at least, all our other 
mental processes. They may bias our con- 
duct either for good or evil, they may control 
our thought, they may dominate or set aside 
our judgment. 

On the other hand we can learn to control 
our emotions, to a greater or less degree, or 
at any rate to cease to manifest them. We 
can also, if we can, learn to direct our emo- 
tions into safe channels. In fact, we must 
do this, if we wish to maintain a proper 
mental balance and stability. Lycurgus 
realized this when he established his laws 
in Sparta. He effected wonders in the way 
of suppression, but he left little room for the 
play of some o, the higher emotions. He 
gave the Spartan.- r>ower and strength, but 
he deprived them o. beauty and grace. All 
are necessary and des^ ble. 

Emotions when propc <r aroused and sub- 
ject to control, brighten our life and enhance 



Emotions — Feelings 83 

its satisfaction, or they mitigate its sorrows. 
There is a normal emotional reaction to every 
object we encounter — animate or inanimate; 
something in us which responds to every 
stimulus. Emotions — proper and pleasant 
ones — decorate and adorn our lives, and 
bring us into sympathy with everything. 
Thought alone may be severely correct and 
yet arid; judgment may be absolutely sure 
and yet limited to our more sordid affairs; 
but how they change and glow and take on 
new life when glorified by the proper emo- 
tions. Then, and then only, we begin to be 
alive. 

The intensity of a given emotion varies 
with the individual, and also with the nature 
of the source from whence it springs. This 
intensity is modified, and usually diminished 
by frequent or regular repetitions. "Who 
riseth from a feast, with that keen appetite 
that he sits down?" The emotions aroused 
by our first sight of some grand mountain, 
or any other noble scene can never be re- 
called again in its full force. But numerous 



84 The Kingdom of the Mind 

recollections gradually enable us to assimi- 
late the impressions and make them a part 
of our very being. 

Like every other process, our emotions 
sometimes "go wrong.* ' We fail to be 
moved by the normal impressions which 
should inspire us. In other words, our emo- 
tions may lack the regulating and governing 
control which judgment teaches. Some 
"laugh at another's loss, or grudge another's 
gain." Ho wells tells of a Kentucky feud, 
resulting in the shooting of a man. The 
bearer of the tidings to his bereaved wife, 
found her standing at her door, eating a pig's 
foot. As soon as she was told, she said : "Just 
wait until I finish this pig's trotter, and you'll 
hear hollerin' as is hollerin'. " 

We cannot catalogue or describe all the 
emotions — pleasant or otherwise. Psycho- 
logists have not yet written the last word — 
they are not all agreed as to what emotions 
are. Moreover in everyday life and speech 
the feelings and emotions are terms often 
used interchangeably. Neither having the 



Emotions — Feelings 85 

ability nor the desire to be arrogant where 
so many wise men disagree, let us consider 
only a few phases of the subject, that we 
may perhaps help others, and render our 
pathway somewhat more beautiful and 
smooth. 

Someone has said that the object of life 
is the pursuit of happiness. Granting this, 
the whole experience of mankind, as shown 
in history, teaches us that only the good 
really deserve or gain true happiness. The 
chief emotion of our lives then should be 
love — not mere sentiment, temporary or 
overpowering likings — but just love. "Thou 
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" Now, 
in order to love ourselves, we must so govern 
and direct and utilize all our powers, moral, 
mental and physical, that they may deserve 
approval. We must remember that we are 
responsible for our use of the talents com- 
mitted to us. 

If then we have love for our neighbour — 
long-suffering, kind, devoid of envy and self- 
seeking; love which never fails — we will find 



86 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

love will carry in its train all other noble and 
lovely and pleasant emotions. One of these 
is joy — the true gladness over our deserved 
possessions, which includes contentment, 
innocent gaiety, and satisfaction over any 
righteous deed or well-earned acquisition to 
our kingdom. Joy cannot live except in a 
pure atmosphere ; it is disturbed or dethroned 
by any element of baseness. 

Free from envy ever living, 
Never with a brother striving, 
Though the shepherd's lot be lowly, 
Yet content I well may be; 
If my store increase but slowly, 
Ev'ry day has joys for me. 1 

Other pleasant and desirable emotions are 
sympathy, which is only one of the mani- 
festations of love ; gladness, which is a milder 
form of joy — less vivid, but more lasting; 
hope, by which past experiences may or 
should justify us in the expectation of better 
things in the future; faith, which is another 
term for trust and confidence, which all life 

1 German song. 



Emotions — Feelings 87 

and all history warrants us in cherishing; 
courage, to face our future with stout hearts ; 
cheerfulness, which will not only make us, 
but those about us happier; forbearance, 
which depends upon nobility of soul; and 
pride — the honest, innocent kind of pride, 
which scorns baseness or deceit, wrong of 
any kind, and warrants our assurance of the 
commendation — "Well done, thou good and 
faithful servant.' ' If to all these we add 
enthusiasm — a spontaneous, genuine zeal in 
our work and our play, a heart-felt and 
sincere interest in whatever we do, so much 
better and happier we are. 

These and many other things we shall 
consider later on, when we discuss man as a 
whole. But a few words about the unpleas- 
ant, painful emotions are desirable. Hatred 
is to my mind the worst emotion we can 
feel. It carries with it anger, ill-will, and 
all manner of evil. Nothing really justifies 
a man in hating his brother. It makes him- 
self unhappy. If we hate a person, he must 
continually be in our thoughts. Let us then 



88 The Kingdom of the Mind 

hate actions, and not persons. Anger affects 
our bodies as well as our minds unfavourably, 
it sometimes causes sudden death. Beware 
of it! "He that ruleth his spirit is greater 
than he that taketh a city ! ' ' Fear makes one 
wretched, as it drives out hope and joy and 
gladness. It unfits us for the struggle of 
life. Most dangers disappear if we face 
them resolutely, or they can be conquered. 
Said Henry IV. on going to battle: "You 
shake, do you, body ! If you knew where I 
am going to carry you to-day, you would 
shake much more. M 

Worry is a most uncomfortable emotion 
— if it once gains admission it is apt to colour 
our whole life. "Why worry ?" x It cannot 
help us— it does not change the conditions 
which confront us. It is a very bad habit 
— get rid of it ! Envy and jealousy are both 
"the vices of small minds.' ' They make us 
narrow, small, mean, and unhappy. We 
mention, only to condemn, suspicion, distrust, 
arrogance, and avarice. But indifference, 

1 Dr. George L. Walton. 



Emotions — Feelings 89 

the lack of any positive emotion, even if 
good or bad, is specially to be abhorred and 
avoided. It prevents growth, and progress 
and service, and removes all spice out of 
our lives. 

The feelings are important factors in our 
lives. They act as our guides in every con- 
dition. They may and do excite emotions, 
but they can exist alone. They are abso- 
lutely necessary to our existence. Hunger, 
thirst, touch, pain, nausea, fatigue — in fact, 
any sensation which arises from or is caused 
by the demands of our physical system — we 
regard as feelings, rather than emotions, 
although emotions almost invariably accom- 
pany feelings. We cannot recognize or 
separate all the feelings engendered by the 
wonderful and complicated workings of our 
various organs and tissues, but we know they 
must exist. True harmony therefore de- 
pends on the proper correlations of all the 
mental, moral, and physical properties which 
form our endowment. 

Emotions then, in connection with our 



90 THe Kingdom of tHe Mind 

other mental processes, necessarily must 
produce action, and the course of action is 
indebted to the will for its full fruition, which 
is conduct. 

Let us then be up and doing, 
With a heart for any fate ! 

"Strive to acquire the art of enjoyment. 
Keep your nerves well in hand. Become 
proficient in saying pleasant words, and 
thinking pleasant thoughts. Make what- 
ever work is yours congenial. Give your 
imagination free play. Look for the good 
in everyone, and endeavour to remedy the 
evil." 1 

I am not earth-born, though I here delay: 
Hope's child, I summon infinite powers — 
I laugh, for hope hath happy place with me. 
If my bark sink, 'tis to another sea. 2 

1 Author not known. a William Ellery Channing. 



X 

THE WILL 

A fatal tendency on the part of the psychologist is to 
measure every human action by the highest standard 
applicable to it. — Wundt, Human and Animal Psycho- 
logy. 

Determine on some course, 
More than a wild exposure to each chance 
That starts in the way before thee. 

Shakespeare, Coriolanus. 
Decide not rashly. The decision made 
Can never be recalled. 

Longfellow, Masque of Pandora. 
The will to do, the soul to dare. 

Scott, Lady of the Isle. 
I dare do all that may become a man; 
Who dares do more, is none. 

Shakespeare, Macbeth. 

THE writer does not agree with Wundt 
that the tendency towards the highest 
standards is fatal. In studying and endea- 
vouring to probe all the processes of mental 

action, it is the part of wisdom to ascertain 

91 



92 THe Kingdom of tHe Mind 

its greatest possible capacity for attainment. 
This we can at least picture in the achieve- 
ments of the greatest minds the world has 
known. But we must also try to discover 
the lowest possible mental development which 
would be consistent in the differentiation of 
man from the animals. We must "also re- 
member that most of us possess only the 
average intellect of our situation in time and 
place. To increase, or rise above this aver- 
age mental capacity should be our aim, and 
we can never succeed unless our standard is 
the highest imaginable. We must therefore 
will to make the most of ourselves and our 
opportunities. 

Discussion without end, disputes never 
settled, even irrepressible conflicts, have 
from the dawn of history centred over the 
meaning and significance of Will. How much 
misery has been caused over the question of 
Free Will! Let us disregard all these and 
see if we cannot present some practical 
points on this subject, which may help us 
in our daily lives, and perhaps explain in 



The Will 93 

part, what is the final outcome of mental 
activity. 

One division of the Will is into impulses 
and volitions. u Simple voluntary acts are 
regarded as manifestations of impulse; there 
is only one motive present in consciousness. 
The higher stages, acts of choice are those 
of volition — the choice between different 
motives, clearly or obscurely conscious. In 
impulse, therefore, the feeling of our own 
activity is less developed than in volition; 
whilst since this latter involves a decision as 
between various conflicting motives, the 
feeling of our own activity rises in it to that 
of freedom." 1 

A volition therefore is purposeful — it has — 
it must have — some goal. Hence it will 
readily be seen that it cannot be an isolated, 
independent process, but must depend upon 
or co-operate with the other mental processes. 
One must first have some idea of the goal, 
and must also perceive what that goal is; 
while judgment comes in to compare methods 

» Wundt, Op. cit. 



94 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

of reaching the goal, and decide whether 
or not the goal is necessary or desirable. 
Moreover we must call upon our memory to 
bring to our minds the results of previous 
volitions, either of a similar or contrasted 
nature. The idea of the act willed, is natu- 
rally accompanied by feelings which are col- 
oured by the nature of the act. These 
feelings, or emotions, may be and indeed are 
very important factors in deciding for or 
against the act. 

Acts performed without any precedent idea 
and purpose, are not volitional but reflex — 
in other words, impulses. Moreover many 
of our acts, which at first require a conscious 
special act of the will, become with frequent 
repetitions practically automatic. Or we 
may call them habits, if we prefer. The 
tendency once formed to react to any given 
stimulus or impression, our will is inclined 
to follow the same path when the particular 
stimulus reappears, as this is the line of the 
least resistance. And this is in its way a 
good thing for us, as it saves much time in 



The Will 95 

the everyday transactions of life. The same 
situations, the same reactions — these con- 
stantly recur, and we often have little time 
for deliberation. 

It is the most natural thing in the world 
to respond or yield to impulses. Only by a 
long and painful process of evolution, by 
training and discipline and the logic of cir- 
cumstances do any of us learn how to select 
between good and bad, favourable and 
unfavourable, normal and abnormal im- 
pulses. And even when we know, we do not 
always choose wisely. 

I know the wrong, abhor the wrong, 
And yet the wrong pursue. 

Hence the will needs the guiding and con- 
trolling process of judgment, and both work 
much better in unison with morality. Froude 
says that "morality, when vigorously alive, 
sees further than intellect, and provides 
unconsciously for intellectual difficulties. ,,x 
Charles Sumner said: "The true grandeur 

1 Short Studies on Great Subjects. 



96 TKe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

of humanity, is in moral elevation, sus- 
tained, enlightened, and decorated by the 
intellect of man." 

Our personal make-up and our feelings, 
and the content and nature of our environ- 
ment — in other words all our individual and 
social responsibilities and liabilities, are 
calling for and dependent upon action. And 
the will is the immediate mechanism or 
force, by which action is transformed from 
an idea into reality. * Let us consider what 
the will can do for us ! 

It enables us to deliberately utilize all our 
mental, moral, and physical forces, to carry 
out our plans, or at least to make the attempt. 
For example, we may study how to prevent 
disease, and obtain all possible information 
in regard to contagion, infection, sanitation, 
and hygiene, but we, many of us, are too 
often satisfied with simply thinking of these 
things. But someone, who not only thinks, 
but carries his ideas to their logical conclu- 
sions, comes forward, and establishes the 

1 Oration on "The True Grandeur of Nations." 



The Will 97 

proper measures, because he wills to do it. 
He takes advantage of the opportunity; he 
seizes the occasion; he does things. 

The will may, if we heed it, enable us to 
rule our spirits, to control our appetites and 
passions, to exercise ourselves in all right 
directions. It helps us to do right, and to 
reform if we have done wrong. Properly 
used it will make friends for us, or conciliate 
foes. In fact, if everyone always used his 
will properly, no one would have any foes, 
for opposition usually arises from acts which 
we perform impulsively, and not from deliber- 
ate choice, where our will and our judgment 
control and guide our actions. 

Our volitions in many instances become 
more or less automatic, and we are no more 
conscious of them than we are of our heart- 
beat, unless some opposing force, some mis- 
play call them to our attention. In our 
daily routine, emergencies arise, where 
prompt action averts disaster or mistakes. 
Hence, in any new undertaking, in any con- 
templated action which involves unfamiliar 



98 The Kingdom of the Mind 

factors, it is well for us to act deliberately, 
after careful consideration. The fundamen- 
tal reason for this is that will — volition — 
always implies doing, or trying to do. Will 
is conduct, which is practically all our life. 
Matthew Arnold says that conduct is three- 
fourths of life. 

Our will will enable us to control our 
temper, to sweeten our disposition, to improve 
our manners. It must be trained, however, 
and training always means hard work, self- 
sacrifice, a discard of non-essentials. How 
important it is to see that our children are 
early taught to control their volitions and 
impulses. Some misguided theologians, in 
the past, and some cranks to-day (' 'Elijah" 
Sanford, for instance) have insisted that it 
is absolutely necessary to "break a child's 
will!" That is not only a mistake — it is a 
crime, both against God and man. It makes 
man not only a cripple but a slave. What 
should be done is to study, control, and direct 
the will in order to render the highest and 
best service man can give. That will not 



The Will 99 

only enable us to yield gracefully to others, 
when necessity arises, as it often does, but to 
yield from principle — because sometimes it 
is right to yield — and not from coercion or 
inertia or cowardice. On the other hand it 
enables us to be firm and steadfast when we 
are sure of the right. It gives us freedom 
under the law. It makes man master of him- 
self. Without the will, or with an undevel- 
oped, weak, or disordered will, our acts are 
ineffective — we simply are "as one beating 
the air." 

As volition implies conduct, and conduct 
is nearly all of life, it seems fitting here to 
consider the question of morals, which are 
inseparable from conduct. Morals are just 
as necessary in making a shoe, or sweeping 
a floor, as in the affairs of business or state- 
craft. They mean "manners, conduct, be- 
haviour." 1 Morality then is not only "the 
doctrine of the moral and social duties," but 
their practice. They include goodness, virtue, 
courtesy, consideration for others. They 

1 Webster's Dictionary. 



ioo THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

mean the doing of the right things in the 
right way at the right time. They exclude 
selfish disregard for or indifference to the 
welfare of others; lack of propriety; exagger- 
ated egoism; meanness, harshness, and cru- 
elty; idle gossip and slander — in short, every 
wrong emotion or thought or deed. 

I have ever thought, 
Nature doth nothing so great for great men, 
As when she's pleased to make them lords of 

truth. 
Integrity of life is man's best friend, 
Which nobly, beyond death shall crown the end. 1 

Then let children be trained early in the 
control and direction of their will — to in- 
crease its strength and power. They should 
learn what is the natural result of any doing. 
They should learn to distinguish between the 
true and the false, the real and the sham. 
They will make mistakes — "to err is human " 
— but they will be mistakes only, and not 
intentional wanderings from the right path. 
"If they fall, 'twill be but to rise again." 

* John Webster, The Duchess of Malfi. 



The Will ioi 

With a true vision, clearness of thinking, 
trained judgment, and a wisely ordered 
will; with a reasonable knowledge of their 
powers and their limitations; with a careful 
conservation of their physical as well as 
mental endowments, they will be well pre- 
pared to enter upon manhood or womanhood. 
But men and women must not consider 
that they can live on their mental capital 
alone. They cannot rely solely on the train- 
ing acquired during youth. They must keep 
on training, studying, striving while life 
lasts. This may seem a hard saying, but it 
is not so. Continual movement, constant 
struggle — these are the very foundations of 
life, and the price of its continuance. Let us 
then will to do our duty, and duty will be- 
come a pleasure. Let us delight in our 
labour, and it will physic pain. Let us de- 
termine to make the most of our talents, to 
increase our resources for service and help- 
fulness, to let no day pass without at least 
one good deed, to be cheerful, optimistic, 
courageous, and zealous. 



102 THe Kingdom of tHe Mind 

Toiling — rejoicing — sorrowing, 
Onward through life he goes, 

Each morning sees some task begun, 
Each evening sees it close; 

Something attempted, something done, 
Has earned a night's repose. 1 

x Longfellow, 



XI 



SOURCES OF STRENGTH 

On earth peace, good will to men. 

Nothing is strong that may not be endangered even 
by the weak. — Quintus Curtius. 

Power is more safely retained by cautious than by 
severe councils. — Tacitus. 

HP HE kingdoms of this world are many and 

* varied. Their "spheres of interest" 

are often selfish. They erect high walls for 

supposed protection and defence, and they 

employ many means of offence as well. An 

individual man is often altruistic, but the 

writer cannot recall the name of any earthly 

kingdom — past or present — which has ever 

considered any other kingdom as good as 

itself. Theoretically we speak of Christian 

nations, but practically they do not exist, 

they never have existed. They never will 

103 



104 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

until swords are turned into ploughshares, 
and nations cease to bestow a very large 
part of their income on ways and means of 
killing men and women and children. 

To be sure the Red Cross does a vast work 
in mitigating the ravages of war, but why 
war? Hospitals are built to patch up the 
horrible wounds caused by battles, and the 
more numerous and dreadful diseases which 
usually follow in war's trail. But why 
battles? Might in itself alone, never yet 
made right. 

Hence Peace is a very desirable embellish- 
ment of the kingdoms of the world and even 
more so of the mind. It means quiet and tran- 
quillity; freedom from disturbance and agi- 
tation; calmness and repose; quiet and 
order as guaranteed by the laws; harmony 
and concord. It must be based on love, and 
it is love. It is "the work of righteousness, 
and the effect of righteousness, quietness and 
assurance forever." "Let us therefore fol- 
low after the things which make for peace." 
"Peace hath her victories no less renown'd 



Sources of StrengtH 105 

than war." Did not Franklin say (and who 
better knew it) that "there never was a good 
war or a bad peace " ? 

A calm and peaceful mind is a great bless- 
ing; a mind absolutely at peace with God 
and the world has a great rest. It completely 
abolishes friction, which is a marked hinder- 
ing power in the world of mind, as it is in 
the world of matter. It causes us to cease 
from restless and vain wishes. It keeps our 
minds from wandering. It helps us to con- 
centrate our attention, and to store great 
riches for the delight of our memories. Truly 
blessed are the peaceful and the peacemakers, 
and a blessing to the world. Such deserve 
the Nobel prizes. And do not think that 
peace is inconsistent with true manhood and 
womanhood! Rather does it grace all that 
makes for efficiency and courage and service. 
Think of Grant's noble words: "Let us have 
peace ! M He, like Sherman and many others, 
knew what war is. If every man and woman 
of average intelligence would work for the 
abolition of war, war would cease. If every 



106 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

ruler, or all so-called statesmen who create, 
or incite or favour wars were sent to 
the fore-front of all battles, there would 
be few battles. War is incompatible with 
peace. 

Another quality which should adorn and 
elevate our kingdom is optimism. By this 
I do not wish to imply that " everything is for 
the best, in this best of all possible worlds/' 
Everyone knows that evil and sin and suffer- 
ing exist, and that neither man nor nature 
is perfect. Optimism is rather a glorified 
hope — but a hope founded on the knowledge 
of man's — the best man's — possibilities, and 
on the evidence given by all ages. It knows 
that some men have been, and may be very 
wicked, but it also knows that others have 
been very good. It does not try to hide the 
evil, it believes it can in time eradicate it. 
It does not try to gloss it over, or to minimize 
its results, but rather seeks to remove the 
causes. But it is not satisfied with negative 
results. It believes in positive efforts and 
has a sublime faith in the powers for good 



Sources of StrengftH 107 

which man possesses. It can see a silver 
lining to every sable cloud; " some good in the 
worst of us"; the Golden Age a future pro- 
spect and not a lost inheritance — a blissful 
state which disappeared ages ago. 

Most of us, whatever our make up, instinct- 
ively prefer an optimist to a pessimist. The 
latter dwarfs both soul and mind by con- 
tinually seeing or looking for the worst side 
of every person and everything. He can 
see little or no good in anything. Every 
silver cloud has a sable lining, and he always 
looks on the dark side. He is never satis- 
fied. He makes no allowances for the good 
side. Every tiling is bad, life is a hollow mock- 
ery, no one is honest. He will not even use 
his lantern to find an honest man. He 
makes us feel uncomfortable, while the opti- 
mist encourages and cheers us, and fills us 
with new life and energy. "When honestly 
possible, optimism is not only the privilege 
of the physician, but his bounden duty. 
Often it will turn the scale of the patient's 
flagging forces and put him on the road to 



108 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

recovery. If we cannot give hope of cure, 
let us give hope of relief, — or have some 
philosophy that may act as a medicine to 
the mind. While none of us is infallible — not 
even the youngest of us — we should all pause 
before we destroy hope. 1 ' 1 When Rufus 
Choate was told by his physician that he 
could not recover, as his constitution was all 
gone, he said: "Then I will live on the by- 
laws/' — and he did. 

Conservation of all our resources is not 
only a source of strength, but is absolutely 
essential for its maintenance. But it must 
be real, judicious, and active — practical and 
not merely theoretical. It means the em- 
ployment of all our intellectual forces in 
ascertaining what special treasures our indi- 
vidual kingdom contains. It means "pros- 
pecting/ ' It must distinguish between true 
values and the false. It must first of all 
preserve the present productiveness, and 
then plan for the redemption of the waste 
places. It must discourage waste and pro- 

1 Dr. T. Fred. Gardner, Brit, Med. Journal. 



Sources of Stren§£tH 109 

mote thrift. It must bear in mind that 
true manhood is the greatest wealth. 

Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, 
Where wealth accumulates, and men decay. 1 

Ambition is another valuable quality, 
which promotes progress and enhances our 
prospects of success, but it must be of the 
noble type. Originally ambition signified 
a going about to solicit an office, and to 
gain votes, according to the old Roman 
custom. Later it meant an eager desire for 
preferment, honour, superiority, and power. 
But it strove to rise over the heads of all 
competitors, and used all means, even though 
dishonourable and ruthless, to gain its ends. 
Such ambition may well be thrown away. 

The ambition we mean is that consuming 
desire which will impel us to seek the highest 
possible good, not only for ourselves, but 
for our neighbour. We must begin with 
little things if we wish to rise to higher levels. 
We must learn that faithfulness in "the daily 

1 Goldsmith, Deserted Village. 



no THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

task, the trivial round" adds to our useful- 
ness. We must utilize all our powers, men- 
tal, moral, and physical, to enlarge ourselves. 
We must be conscious of ourselves, mindful 
of our privileges and our duties; strive to 
deserve promotion; and we may be called to 
higher places. But if not, what then! We 
have at least an approving conscience. If 
we do not attain fame, we maintain our self- 
respect and honour, whatever our station. 

Honour and shame from no condition rise; 
Act well your part, there all the honour lies. 1 

Co-operation is another fundamental source 
of power, and its absence soon leads to chaos. 
4 'It is not well for man to live alone." We 
could not live unless all our physical pro- 
cesses worked together in harmony. How 
then can we expect our minds to maintain 
their integrity unless the different mental 
faculties worked together in concord? "If 
a house be divided against itself that house 
cannot stand." If then our bodies and our 
minds must co-operate with each other, is 

1 Pope, Epistle IV. 



Sources of StrengtH in 

it not evident that individuals must also 
co-operate with each other? 

Cultivation is a necessary process in the 
attainment and maintenance of strength, 
whether of body or mind. Its fruits, its 
crops, may depend primarily on the fertility 
and composition of the soil. A good farmer 
will raise fair crops from a poor soil, while a 
bad farmer will ruin the most fertile lands, 
give him time enough. We not only have 
to prepare the ground properly, but we must 
select perfect seed. We must watch the 
crops constantly, and root out all weeds. We 
must know well all the relative forces of soil 
and cultivation in order to estimate the 
fruits of both, to foresee what harvests we 
may reasonably expect. 

We cannot enumerate here all the sources 
of our mental strength — -proper education, 
training, practice, discipline, self-reliance — 
as we shall consider them later on in other 
connections. But a few words may be 
devoted to the power of imagination. The 
humblest individual, even the child, has 



112 The Kingdom of the Mind 

some imagination. "True imagination is 
vastly different from fancy, far from being 
merely ' a caprice, ' or a playful outcome of 
mental activity, it is a thing of joy and 
beauty. It performs the initial, essential 
functions in every branch of human know- 
ledge." 1 Hence we must draw on facts for 
our imagination, and not on imagination for 
our facts, as Sheridan said of a political op- 
ponent. Imagination derives its materials 
from past experiences — from knowledge ac- 
quired from whatever source — and then 
weaves them into the possibilities and glories 
of the future. Imagination rarely looks 
backward, except to fill up the gaps in the 
lost history. It rather looks forward. What 
pictures, what visions, must have appeared 
to the great inventors, the great poets. 
Imagination played a great r61e in the dis- 
covery of radium, wireless telegraphy, in the 
poems and dramas of Shakespeare. 

As imagination bodies forth 
The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen 
x Maudsley, Body and Will. 



Sources of Strength 113 

Turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothing 
A local habitation and a name. 1 

Dryden says: "A poet is a maker, as the 
word signifies; and he who cannot make, 
that is, invent, hath his name for nothing. 1 ' 
Then we see that Edison, Guttenberg, Watts, 
are poets, just as Homer, Dante, Milton. 
We can only judge of the future by the 
past. Let us occasionally at least, take a look 
ahead. Even if our plans and hopes prove 
to be dreams, they are not idle dreams, for 
they have lifted us out of ourselves for a 
moment, and given us a brief surcease from 
our trials and perplexities. If we at times 
recall our past and brood over our failures 
and mistakes, let it be with the determination 
to avoid them in the future. Let imagina- 
tion illumine our judgment, enrich our 
thoughts, reinforce our will, and make glad 
the waste places. Probably no man ever 
had a better brain than Napoleon, and he 
said that "imagination rules the world/ ' 

1 Midsummer Night* s Dream. 
8 



XII 

SOURCES OF WEAKNESS 

Every kingdom divided against itself, is brought to 
desolation ; and every city or house divided against itself, 
shall not stand. — St. Matthew.;; 

United we stand — divided we fall! — Morris. 

Stronger by weakness, wiser men become. — Edmund 
Waller. 

THERE is a tendency in all kingdoms to 
shut one's eyes to the weak points, 
just as the ostrich buries his head in the sand 
to escape his pursuers. There is also a 
tendency to overestimate one's strength and 
resources. Both are unwise and foolish. 
While we should recognize all the mental 
processes we possess, we should also realize 
that the strength and power of these pro- 
cesses vary with themselves, not only in 

different persons but in the same person at 

114 



Sources of Weakness 115 

different ages, and even at different hours in 
a given day. 

We have learned that our minds depend 
for their full and normal functioning on the 
faculties of perception, attention, conscious- 
ness, memory, thought, judgment, emotions, 
and will. We also should realize that these 
in turn are based on a normal condition of 
our complex physical system. It is also 
sure that both mind and body are subjected 
to powerful influences, some of which are 
unfavourable to health. In fact, we have 
"foes without, and foes within," and we 
must strive to protect ourselves. 

Over-confidence is one of the greatest 
sources of weakness. It leads one to dis- 
regard everything which does not appeal to 
his vanity or exaggerated self-esteem. Brad- 
dock suffered from over-confidence, which in 
a way means ignorance, and experienced a 
disastrous defeat in consequence. How differ- 
ent the case with Washington, whose calm 
assurance and self-control enabled him to 
turn successive defeats into actual victories, 



II 6 THe Kingdom of tke Mind 

and to save his country. Napoleon the 
Third lost his throne by over-confidence. 
In taking an inventory of our mental re- 
sources, let us make a discount for possible 
defects and losses. Allow a reasonably 
large margin for unforeseen emergencies. 

Lack of confidence is another source of 
trouble. It means* that one is unable to ap- 
preciate the exact value of what he actually 
possesses. He does not realize his ability, 
or knowing it, he dare not trust it. He 
hesitates to undertake anything which in- 
volves new and untried issues. He is un- 
willing to assume responsibilities. He can 
plod along in the beaten path marked out 
for him by others,~and keep in the ruts of 
time-worn customs, but he is afraid to take 
the initiative. He becomes a slave to con- 
ventionality, a bigoted devotee of rules and 
regulations. No progress ever results from 
distrust of one's self — no great discoveries. 
This is not as bad as over-confidence, but it 
is bad enough. Both should be avoided. 

Extravagance is not only a source of weak- 



Sources of Weakness 117 

ness, but a sure precursor of ultimate dis- 
aster. It means debt, living beyond our 
"income," wasting our means in "riotous 
living." It results from the desire for things 
which are not legitimately within our reach 
— for needless or undesirable luxuries or 
superfluities. It often ensues from failure 
to "count the cost." No one should grudge 
the honest rich their enlarged opportunities, 
but we should disapprove of ostentation, 
reckless excesses, and unseemly displays. 
How many men have been led to crime to 
further their desire for "high living" or 
"keeping up appearances." True worth is 
always appreciated in the end, just as shams 
are soon found out and exposed. One 
should learn to economize his mental treas- 
ures, in order to have them at hand when 
occasion demands. True economy means 
wise and proper expenditures whether of 
money or mind. It does not mean stingi- 
ness nor miserliness. It means prudence and 
common sense. Extravagance is a heavy 
mortgage on our future. 



Il8 The Kingdom of tKe Mind 

Instability is a sure evidence of weakness. 
It disorients us when least expected or de- 
sired. It means failure to achieve the best 
results, unless some "lucky chance' ' inter- 
venes. Remember what was said of Ephraim ; 
"unstable as water, thou shalt not 6X061." 
It is the reliable person, the one on whom we 
can always depend, and whose word is as 
good as his bond, to whom we turn in times 
of stress. He always is equal to the situa- 
tion. "He sweareth to his own hurt, and 
changeth not." Instability endangers the 
very foundations of life, as of buildings and 
kingdoms. 

Friction is sure to impair the progress of 
our mental kingdom to a certain extent. 
Mechanically, it implies a very desirable, 
useful, and necessary process. But, as we 
now extend its meaning, it implies lack of 
harmony, inability or indisposition to agree, 
a tendency to differ with our neighbour with- 
out rational grounds. "In the multitude of 
counsellors there is wisdom" if they all 
agree and co-operate, or if they can come 



Sources of Weakness 119 

together in some settlement of affairs. But 
some persons are stubborn or even mulish; 
or they are swayed by prejudices and pas- 
sions; or their judgment and will are at 
swords' points, and hence comes trouble. 
If our minds and bodies always worked to- 
gether, and every man with his neighbour, 
friction would be reduced to a necessary and 
happy minimum which does not preclude 
honest difference of opinion. 

Waste diminishes our resources, directly, 
by reducing our substances, and indirectly, 
by embarrassing our future efforts. As the 
world stands today, some waste seems inevi- 
table, but modern science has demonstrated 
that the " by-products' ' are often greater 
than the direct. Think of the enormous 
waste in many factories, even today, when 
all the so-considered non-essentials — the 
imagined waste — is thrown into our rivers, 
or on the rubbish heap. Too often we waste 
our mental treasures — our time and oppor- 
tunities — from sheer ignorance, or even from 
wilfulness and indifference. There have been 



120 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

many prodigal sons. How many wasted 
talents and wasted lives there are. "The 
pity of it!" 

The keenest pangs the wretched find 
Are rapture to the dreary void, 
The leafless desert of the mind, 
The waste of feelings unemployed. 2 

A feeling of irresponsibility is a source of 
weakness both to individuals and to states. 
We should realize that everyone, however 
lowly or high his station, ought to recognize 
that he is accountable, both to himself and 
his neighbour, for his conduct. When duty 
calls, he should respond. The word respond 
means ''to promise back." We receive most 
of what we possess from the labours of 
others and from our heritage. It should be 
our pleasure to give as well as receive. We 
should all feel that we are important factors 
— that no one is so weak or poor as to be 
utterly useless. If we neglect any least 
portion of our work, we cannot claim that 
we are not responsible. "Am I my brother's 

* Byron, The Giaour. 



Sources of Weakness 121 

keeper?" has been asked many times. We 
at any rate should be helpers, if not keepers. 
The laws both of God and man forbid us to 
claim that we are ever irresponsible for our 
deeds, unless we are idiots or hopelessly 
insane. 

Finally a great, perhaps the greatest source 
of weakness is lack of proper exercise of our 
faculties. If we have treasures, we should 
use them and not bury them or lock them 
up. The athlete must or should keep up 
training all the time, and not merely in 
spurts. Paderewski, who plays for hours 
every day, says: "If I stop practising for one 
day, I notice it; if for two days, my wife 
notices it; if for three days, my audience 
notices it. " We are here to serve, and not 
to be hermits. Man is only a be — ing, by 
reason of his do — ing. Let us then main- 
tain and gather new strength by the proper 
use of all our faculties, choosing always the 
right occasions. We should keep our houses 
always in order, remedying the slightest 
defect, making the necessary repairs, when 



122 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

defects first come to our attention; when 
they are small. If we do our duty, we shall 
realize that even our weakness may become 
strength. A chain is no stronger than its 
weakest link. 



XIII 

THE RULER OF THE KINGDOM 

All authority must be out of a man's self, turned either 
upon an art, or upon a man. — Bacon. 

Ill can he rule the great that cannot reach the small. 
— Spencer. 

Keep cool and you command everybody. — St. Just. 

C VERY form of government must have some 
*— ' head — some central seat of power and 
leadership — which head should act as an 
executive of the will of the nation, carry out 
its purposes, enforce its laws, guard its re- 
sources, and in every possible way act as a 
manager, protector, and defender. Even 
animals do this to some extent. In the same 
way man — the individual — should rule his 
kingdom. 
We must repeat, that man is a complex 

being, having first of all a body, which is 

123 



124 The Kingdom of tKe Mind 

tangible; can be seen and heard; and can 
move from one place to another. This is 
one province of his kingdom — an essential 
part t but still only a part of himself. We 
often meet with complete idiots, who have 
absolutely no intellectual faculties — no mem- 
ory, thought, judgment, and no ability to 
make their wants known. Many of them 
cannot walk or feed themselves. They 
would perish if others did not care for them. 
They have no speech. They have eyes, and 
can see, and they have some feelings, but no 
true emotions. Their will is undeveloped 
or perverted, and their movements are pur- 
poseless. Some of them might appear to the 
ordinary observer as fairly well developed. 
Be this as it may, the human being, if he had 
nothing but a body, would be a ruler over a 
practical desert. 

Fortunately for him he has another part 
to his kingdom — the mind. Unlike the body, 
the mind is not tangible; it cannot be seen, 
or heard, or weighed; it must be estimated 
by what it does. Its powers are apparently 



The Ruler of the Kingdom 125 

unlimited, when developed to the highest 
degree, as far as this earth is concerned. 

We often speak of the influence of the 
mind on the body, and of the body on the 
mind. This is true because one cannot do 
much without the other. But let us always 
remember that we are using these terms 
simply for purposes of illustration, to better 
understand our make-up. After all, they 
are words — but words which have a deep 
meaning. We are obliged to use them, in 
our present state of knowledge, if we would 
make ourselves clear. How often do we 
personify emotions — our possessions — things ! 
We speak of a ship as "she," but we also 
say "man of war." James says: "Let pa- 
tience have her perfect work. ' ' We know there 
is no sex in ships of emotions. Then the 
reader will kindly accept our use occasionally 
of familiar forms of speech. If we were 
writing for specialists only, our phraseology 
would be very different. 

To the provinces of the body and the mind 
we should add another — the indefinable but 



126 THe King'dom of tKe Mind 

universally recognized and acknowledged 
quality called individuality. We each have 
a personality of our own, distinct in many 
ways from any other person who has ever 
lived. It is conceivable that all bodies and 
all minds might have been made absolutely 
alike, in which case we would resemble 
machines ; mechanisms like a Waltham watch, 
only even more so, because it is said to be 
utterly impossible to make even two watches 
exactly alike. 

It is our individuality which affords vari- 
ety; which gives us whatever graces and 
charms we may possess; and saves us from 
monotony. Without individuality we would 
be as dry and uninteresting as, for example, 
the multiplication table. You may have 
heard the following story which I have 
ventured to arrange in a manner suitable 
and agreeable to each sex. 

A. I am glad people are not all alike. If 

they were everyone would want my j * 

B. I heartily agree with A. If all 



TKe Ruler of tKe Ringdom 127 

people were like me, nobody would want 

I (husband. 
( wife. 

Like everything else in this world, indi- 
viduality has varying degrees. It may make 
a person very unattractive, or disagreeable, 
or even hateful, or the opposite. It needs 
to be cultivated carefully. Sometimes fer- 
tilizers are necessary and sometimes pruning 
knives. But when symmetrically developed 
and polished, and when moulded by judg- 
ment and tact, it will be justified of itself. 

With extreme diffidence we allude briefly 
to the fourth and last province of man's 
kingdom — the soul or spirit. We hear much 
of the things of the spirit. In a general, 
and often a vague way, we have an idea of 
what is meant; our relations to a Higher 
Power — to God. These imply love, obedi- 
ence, honour, and worship — they prompt man 
to look up to something higher and better 
than himself, or any other person he has 
ever seen. They give, or should give man a 
desire and determination to recognize and 



128 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

perform his duty and to work righteousness. 
But as with the mind, so with the soul, all 
the manifestations of a spiritual force in us 
must and can be effected only by means of 
our bodies, and only through them when all 
work in harmony. And the only noteworthy 
output of all these — what the world needs 
and demands — is service. 

We then have to rule over four distinct 
states: soul, mind, body, and individuality. 
Each of us is heir to this kind of a kingdom, 
but, unlike heirs to earthly kingdoms, we do 
not always succeed at once, at birth, to a 
thoroughly developed and organized estate. 
We rather inherit the possibilities and poten- 
tialities of a kingdom. Our treasures are 
slowly developed. We have one estate of 
childhood, another of mature manhood, and 
one of old age. In this section we will only 
consider the mature individual ; one equipped 
for life's duties and responsibilities; one who 
is presumably of the average intelligence 
necessary in order to adjust himself to the 
demands of the present stage of civiliza- 



THe Ruler of tKe Ringdom 129 

tion. Even then we must set the standard 
high. 

Now the first quality which man needs, in 
order to rule himself and his kingdom, is 
knowledge. Confucius said: "When you 
know a thing, to hold that you know it, and 
when you do not know a thing, to allow that 
you do not know it, this is knowledge/' and 
"knowledge is power." True knowledge 
then shows man in some degree his capacities 
and his limitations. We all know of persons 
who "know it all"! Poor, ignorant mor- 
tals — they are to be pitied, but it is hard for 
the discreet man to conceal his contempt for 
them. We read in newspapers that Miss 
Blank has gone abroad "to finish her educa- 
tion!" But when we become too old to 
learn, we might as well die — for we are then 
fossils. Education can never be finished. 

Man must not only have knowledge, but, 
recognizing that he cannot in himself contain 
all knowledge, he must have insight and 
judgment enough to seek for trusty counsel- 
lors. He must learn where to look for help, 



130 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

for all rulers need help. He must use all his 
faculties to the best advantage. He must 
utilize his previous experiences, and that of 
others, both those who have succeeded and 
those who have failed. If our minds are 
open we can learn much from our mistakes. 
Solomon says: "Where no counsel is, the 
people fall; but in the multitude of counsel- 
lors there is safety." Rulers may and should 
give ear to wise counsels, but this does not 
necessarily exclude a proper self-reliance. 

The next quality in a ruler who desires 
success is to know how to trust and whom to 
trust. He must know his strength and his 
weakness. He must not lean on broken 
reeds. So in our kingdom of the mind, we 
must trust our faculties, but we can only 
base this trust on our knowledge, and taking 
counsel with ourselves. For example, some 
men can call with absolute confidence on a 
vast store of memories, each having its 
proper or peculiar associations of ideas. 
Others depend on notes and memoranda. 
General Grant owed much of his success as 



TKe Ruler of tKe Kingdom 131 

a soldier to trusting his subordinates and 
"giving them a chance/ ' But trust in one's 
self must be justified by the results attained. 
Hence we must keep our faculties in as good 
order as possible, always ready for service. 
The same rule applies as well to our physical 
resources. 

Self-control is not only a very desirable 
qualification for a ruler, but is absolutely 
necessary for good government. It implies 
calmness, reflection, reasoning. It means a 
thorough adjustment of our equipment, and 
adequate direction of our emotions. How 
can one who is unable to control himself — 
his temper, appetite, passions, and impulses — 
expect to be able to control others ! 

A ruler may have acquired all possible 
knowledge of his resources; have chosen 
good counsels; know how to trust, and to 
control himself , but if he has not tact, he will 
find himself subject to many disagreeable 
events. He will often alienate his best 
friends, and increase the hostility of his 
enemies. None of us can escape enemies, 



132 The Kingdom of the Mind 

but we should not needlessly add to their 
number. Tact means touching — contact 
with others. It implies the ability and the 
disposition to do and say what will best 
accomplish a desired effect, and also when 
to be silent and inactive. There are suitable 
occasions for all things, and also unsuitable. 
Tact desires to please and not to give offence. 
It knows how to give judicious praise to 
honest and faithful work, and how to temper 
condemnation with mercy and goodwill. 
It is a combination of good sound judgment 
and well-ordered emotions. Lack of tact 
is a serious handicap. Macaulay said of 
Hallam: "He had a mind distinguished by 
the amplitude of its grasp, and by the deli- 
cacy of its tact." The late King Edward 
and President McKinley were exemplars of 
tact. 

Another quality needed for successful 
ruling is sympathy. "Great as are the 
blessings of sympathy in the direct aid it 
gives in mitigating the recurrent ills of the 
individual — they are of small account in 



The Ruler of the Kingdom 133 

comparison with the secondary influence it 
brings to bear on the conduct of the mind 
it controls. By giving forth to others with 
all his strength the individual wins beyond 
himself. He escapes from the prison which 
the sense of self inevitably puts him into. 
Just so far as he goes forth sympathetically 
to other personalities, to his fellows of what- 
ever estate, to his God, or to the nature 
about him, he is emancipated from selfhood, 
and above all from the fear of death. The 
highest value of the sympathetic emotions 
is not to be seen in heroic deaths, but far 
more largely in the paths of duty in well- 
ordered and placid societies. All real social 
advance consists of gain in the altruistic 
motive." 1 

We may now just allude to true progressive- 
ness, which means well-considered aims and 
constructive ability to formulate working 
methods for attaining them; patient, judi- 
cious, persevering work, not abandoned 
because of temporary obstacles. And finally 

1 Shaler, A Study of Life and Death. 



134 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

the ruler must have some kind of system in 
his methods of thought and action — a system 
which shall be elastic and yet efficient — a 
system, however, which shall be his servant 
and not his master. 

Princes that would their people should do well, 
Must at themselves begin, as at the head; 
For men, by their example, pattern out 
Their imitations, and regard of laws: 
A virtuous court, a world to virtue draws. 1 

x Ben Jonson, Cynthia's Revels, 



XIV 

STABILITY 

I am a man, nothing that is human do I think unbe- 
coming in me. — Terence. 

Man was born for two things — thinking and acting, 
— Cicero. 

A li IE have thus far considered what the 
* * kingdom of the mind is: its varied 
components; its relations to the body and 
soul; its sources of weakness and strength; 
and its ruler. We will find it profitable to 
enlarge a little, in a more general way, before 
we can gain a clear idea of true rulership, 
which is true manhood and womanhood. 

The individual ruler must be able to rule 
himself as well as his kingdom. To do this 
he must be stable. Now stability implies 
the ability to stand: to be steady in purpose ■ 
firm in resolution, not easily diverted from 

135 



136 The Kingdom of the Mind 

the goal ; and free from fickleness and waver- 
ing. It does not mean an inability to move 
— it is not inconsistent with changes of base. 
It does mean progress, but progress justified 
by and based on sound principles; progress 
in the right direction. It means conserva- 
tion of all that is good and a reaching out 
after new and more fruitful and varied growth 
— a true and honest expansion. It means a 
maintenance of one's self in all just and 
honourable ways — a holding fast to one's 
own. 

The oak which stands firm against the 
mighty wind, and the slender birch, swaying 
to every passing breeze, are alike stable, 
though in different ways. As with the trees so 
with man. There are times when he must 
stand firm as a rock, and again occasions when 
he must bend to the blast. He must "have 
a back-bone' ' in order to support himself, 
but if his back-bone was absolutely immobile 
— rigid and fixed — he would be in a bad 
plight. Stability means steadiness, con- 
stancy, persistence, firmness, durability. 



Stability 137 

It means a good foundation — a house built 
on a rock. 

Only a sweet and virtuous soul, 
Like seasoned timber, never gives. 1 

Stability is not as prevalent as it should 
be, although it is one of the most desirable 
and efficient factors in mental development. 
It has many elements; it implies constancy, 
courage, decision, determination, patience, 
perseverance, resolution, and tenacity of 
purpose. The possession of these qualities 
may not make a man famous, but it will win 
for him respect and confidence and trust. 
He is the one we turn to in time of trouble — 
the one on whom we lean when we need a 
helper. When all goes well with us, we 
sometimes forget him, but at all times we 
"always know where to find him." He does 
not face two ways. He looks ahead. He is 
always prepared. One can depend upon him 
to the end. 

Constancy cannot flourish in isolation. 

* Herbert. 



138 The Kingdom of the Mind 

Its very meaning — " standing with " — implies 
association with some object outside itself — 
some person, some government, some duty. 
It is as true as the dial to the sun, the pole 
to the North Star. It is the very cement of 
friendship and it graces every station to 
which we are called. Constancy always is 
at one with truth — lies or dishonesty are 
abhorrent to and inconsistent with it. It 
cannot abide hypocrisy and double-dealing 
and treachery. It cannot live in darkness, 
it can only flourish in the light. 

Constancy, like stability, always means 
courage — not merely physical, but the much 
harder moral courage. Courage to maintain 
a lofty standard is needed every day of our 
lives — in our families, business, diversions, 
in little as well as great things. We despise 
a physical coward; much more should we 
condemn moral cowardice. How often we 
see men afraid to express their real convic- 
tions, or to act when their action will be 
peculiar or unpopular. How many men are 
"on the fence, waiting to jump on the band 



Stability 139 

wagon." 1 How many in exalted stations 
fear to be bold. Compare their conduct 
with that of Grover Cleveland, who said: 
"Tell the /n^y" 

O friends, be men; so act that none may feel 
Ashamed to meet the eyes of other men. 
Think each one of his children and his wife, 
His home, his parents, living yet or dead. 
For them the absent ones, I supplicate, 
And bid you rally here, and scorn to fly. 2 

Decision is often necessary, and often 
depends upon constancy and courage. It 
must from its very nature be based on judg- 
ment — comparison and reasoning — in other 
words on a choice. It requires for the cor- 
rect results adequate knowledge of the cir- 
cumstances, and a familiarity with past events ; 
an insight into human nature in general, 
and one's own temperament in particular. 
It is not always easy to decide. There is 
usually little trouble in the ordinary hap- 
penings of the daily lives of most of us, but 

1 The writer does not apologize for using occasional 
slang when it is generally accepted; in fact he rather likes it. 

2 Bryant's Homer's Iliad. 



140 TKe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

each individual sooner or later, more or less 
often, has to solve serious and important 
and vital questions. Here the promptness 
and value of our decision depends upon the 
amount of our mental resources and our 
ready command of them. But deliberation 
is even here better than haste; a rapid yield- 
ing to impulses or prejudices. When you 
decide, decide justly. "Let your yea be 
yea, and no, no." Remember the donkey 
who starved between two bales of hay! 
Decisions should always go hand-in-hand 
with determination. Let action accompany 
decision promptly. 

Another element of stability is patience, 
which to some of us seems a lost art in these 
days of hurry; when so many are afflicted 
with the speed mania. Many people are 
vexed because the harvest does not imme- 
diately follow the seed-time. We have to 
wait, sometimes many weary hours or days, 
before we reach our journey's end. We 
cannot always hurry. Sometimes circum- 
stances are against us, and sometimes T it is 



Stability 141 

our restless eager spirit. But let patience 
have her perfect work. If we are compelled 
to wait, let us occupy our minds in some other 
way, not however forgetting what we have 
wished to do. 

Patience sometimes means resignation — 
we cannot always have our own way; it is 
not always good for us. Trials and misfor- 
tunes may confront us. If we do our best 
to overcome them and fail, then submission 
is right and proper. "Man yields to death; 
and man's sublimest works must yield at 
length to time." 1 Patience also means self- 
control. Goethe says: "I will be lord over 
myself. No one who cannot master himself 
is worthy to rule, and only he can rule." 
And Holmes adds: " Humility may be taken 
for granted in every sane human being, but 
it may be that it most truly manifests itself 
today in the readiness with which we bow 
to new truths as they come from the scholars, 
the teachers, to whom the inspiration of the 
Almighty giveth understanding." 

1 Thomas Love Peacock. 



142 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

Allied closely to patience is or should 
be perseverance. It means determination, 
knowledge of the goal, and the effort to reach 
it. It implies earnestness in the utilization 
of our resources, and good judgment in their 
direction. It is the direct opposite of indiffer- 
ence, a foe to inertia. It is not inconsistent 
with zeal and enthusiasm, but these are apt 
to ebb and flow, while earnestness and per- 
severance resemble the steady flow of a river 
winding its way through or around all ob- 
stacles to the sea. It is the offspring of 
reason and not the creature of impulse. 

Finally our stability implies the possession 
of determination and resolution. We must 
consider all that bears upon life before we 
can determine our course. We need maps 
and a compass, and a knowledge of naviga- 
tion, with the skill to use them. We must 
be careful, and look out for dangers. We are 
responsible for the treasures and interests 
committed to our care. We must be vigi- 
lant, and keen of observation. We must 
learn to bear fatigue and pain if need be. 



Stability 143 

Having then all that we can attain of 
stability, constancy, patience, and courage, 
we should persevere on our way, holding fast 
to whatever will enhance our capacity for 
service with tenacity of purpose. Then we 
shall find much joy, even though our path 
may be not altogether strown with flowers. 
Let our aims be lofty, single, pure, and we 
shall be able to "finish our course/ ' to "fight 
the good fight." At the end may we deserve 
this praise : 

Only the actions of the just 

Smell sweet and blossom in the dust. 1 

Let it be not said of us, as of Absalom : 

A man so various, that he seemed to be 

Not one, but all mankind's epitome; 

Stiff in opinions, always in the wrong, 

Was everything by starts, and nothing long, 

But in the course of one revolving moon, 

Was chemist, fiddler, statesman, and buffoon. 2 

1 Shirley. Death's Conquest, a Dryden. 



XV 

FROM YOUTH TO AGE 

He remembereth that we are dust. 

No man is born unto himself alone; ■ 
Who lives unto himself, lives to none. 

QUARLES. 

Youth means hope, manhood means fulfilment, and 
old age cheerful retrospections. — Anon. 

Youth, what man's age is like to be, doth show 
We may our ends by our beginnings know, 

\\ TE have seen that the individual is a 

* * very complicated being, composed of 

various elements, some of which are evident 

to our senses, and some brought to notice 

only by their activities and functions. In 

a very real sense man is made out of the dust 

of the earth, and after living a few score years 

he returns to dust. No man is exempt from 

this lot. Poet and peasant, king and sub- 

144 



From "YoxitH to -Age 145 

ject, the rich man and the poor, all ''await 
the inevitable hour." 

The glories of our birth and state 
Are shadows, not substantial things; 
There is no armour against fate — 
Death lays his icy hand on kings. 1 

But there is another side to this life of 
ours — a side not so gloomy. Life is a suc- 
cession of happenings, and these are many 
of them pleasant. Days are not always 
overcast, nights are not always black as 
Erebus. We have the sun by day, and the 
moon and stars by night, even if clouds and 
tempests sometimes hide them. And our 
minds and souls may have an illumination 
of their own, which will irradiate our lives, 
if we will take note of it. 

Hamlet divides life into seven stages, 
which are known to all. We will here con- 
sider life in three aspects — youth, manhood, 
and old age. There are no fixed boundaries, 
no arbitrary limits to these three periods. 
They pass imperceptibly from one to the 

* Shirley. 
xo 



146 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

other. Some persons are always young, 
and some are always old. But the vast 
majority display the qualities and character- 
istics typical of these periods. 

In youth one thinks and speaks and un- 
derstands as a child. Everything is fresh 
and new. Vista after vista opens before it, 
each more enchanting than the last. It is 
very susceptible to new impressions and more 
apt to act on its emotions than its judgment. 
It is the evolutionary or formative stage. It 
gradually becomes aware of its developing 
forces. It has everything to learn. It has a 
scanty past and a long and glowing future. Its 
imagination sets no bounds to its aspirations. 

Youth then is the time for the preliminary 
training of all the mental, moral, and physical 
forces; to foster them; to develop them, and 
to grow up symmetrically. Work should 
not be too hard, but there must be some work. 
It is hard to learn "to read without tears." 
Work should be diversified, and studies 
attractive. But there must also be some 
play. 



From YoutH to .Age 147 

Education is necessary; not that derived 
from books alone, but from all the experi- 
ences of life. The youth should very early 
be taught the nature of his physical and 
mental and spiritual endowments, and shown 
how to use them. He should learn to respect 
and honour his parents and elders; to be 
square and just ; to be unselfish ; to recognize 
the rights of others; to regulate his conduct; 
and to play fair. He should train all his 
senses, as all he will ever know comes to him 
through them. It is not necessary to lumber 
up the mind with a mass of superfluous 
material. Rather should education teach 
youth to grow into the full stature of a man 
— a whole man. The early education then 
should give one a certain amount of knowl- 
edge which will enable him to fulfil the ordi- 
nary duties of the average sphere of life. 
As he approaches maturity he will usually 
manifest certain tendencies and talents, 
which can then be developed and trained in 
the right way. We cannot dwell on this 
subject, but will add that youth is the period 



148 The Kingdom of the Mind 

when most of our habits are acquired, and 
it is of vital importance that these habits 
should be correct. 

In endeavouring to disclose what the 
average normal mind is, we must not forget 
that there are backward as well as forward 
children. This creates one of the greatest 
problems of our schools. We must remem- 
ber that in this world, flowing with milk and 
honey, and teeming with incalculable fertility, 
there is now and always has been a marked 
inequality in environments and income. It 
is a disgrace to humanity that any — even 
one — child should during its formative years 
be deprived of anything which nourishes 
mind or body or soul; to have its normal 
growth stunted; to actually want the very 
necessities of life. Even from the economical 
side it is a prodigious and criminal waste or 
neglect of good material. Let each of us 
take this to heart. "Suffer little children 
to come unto me, and forbid them not, for 
of such is the kingdom of God." Is there 
any one who can hear the "cry of lost chil- 



From Youth to Age 149 

dren" unmoved? Probably not, but we 
mostly are indifferent or heedless or too 
much absorbed in our own affairs. "The 
world is too much with us." 

Youth should remember that the child is 
the father of the man, and that "as the twig 
is bent the tree is inclined." Youth should 
learn that envy, jealousy, hatred, malice, 
selfishness, and evil communications are not 
only wrong, but they retard growth, and 
deform both body and mind. It should 
know that alcohol and all other drug addic- 
tions are bad. As so many ills arise from 
sexual abuses, it must above all learn what 
every boy and girl should know about the 
facts of reproduction of the race. This is 
imperative, but parents and instructors 
must use good judgment and discretion. 
As many children learn much that is bad 
even when very young, our words must be 
in season. 

The picture drawn thus far may perhaps 
make life seem rather dry and practical. 
But youth has many joys and pleasures; 



150 TKe Ring do m of tHe Mind 

many healthy recreations. The innocent 
glee of childhood, the merry heart which 
doeth good like a medicine, the games and 
sports and other means of recreation, the 
development and play of the muscles, music 
and song, interesting books, home and school 
life, the freedom from sordid cares, the 
joyous imaginations, the eager anticipations, 
the honest pride over work accomplished — 
these and many other delights belong in a 
special degree to youth. What can be more 
pleasing to the maturer person than to watch 
the young people at their play! We grow 
young again in fancy as we look at them. 
Their lively talk, their little secrets, their 
confidences, how they divert us. And if 
perchance tears come to children, as often 
happens, how soon they give way to smiles 
when their troubles are made to vanish. 
Youth without play! perish the thought! 
Not all play, not all work, not all rest — but 
some work, some play, some rest. And 
what is sweeter than the laugh of a child ! 
Only too soon must youth enter upon man- 



From YovrtH to Age 151 

hood, mingle with other men, engage in life's 
work, and assume life's cares and responsi- 
bilities. Heretofore he has had counsellors 
— his parents and teachers. He has been 
trained for manhood. His physical and 
mental faculties have been explained and 
developed, and if he has co-operated with 
his instructors he has acquired and assimi- 
lated knowledge and wisdom and power. 
Now he must or should be able to make his 
own way. He still has much — vastly much 
— to learn; he will always be obliged to learn 
— but if he has been properly trained in 
youth, he has a good and sure foundation. 

The two great objects most men strive for 
are success and happiness, and these aims 
are worthy, provided the price to be paid is 
not too high. But the success should be 
legitimate and the happiness true. "Act 
well your part; there all the honour lies." 
A success reached over the ruin and wrecks 
of competitors is not a real success, and it 
cannot bring true happiness. A man may 
attain riches in that way and be able to buy 



152 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

all he wants or can wish (except honest men) ; 
he may have unbounded control over thou- 
sands; he may exult over his possessions; but 
he is not, he cannot be happy. Unless he 
repents and makes restitution, and the latter 
he cannot fully do, because some of his 
victims are dead. 

Who remembers such successful men? 
But how shining are the names of those who 
from the earliest ages down to the present 
time, have refused to purchase success at 
the cost of honour, justice, mercy, and in- 
tegrity ! Names need not be given, but they 
will readily recur to us. "A good name is 
rather to be chosen than great riches, and 
loving favour rather than silver and gold." 
Riches and station are good if well used; 
such cause no envy or hatred. Think of the 
man of whom it was said: "first in war, first 
in peace, first in the hearts of his country- 
men"! And the good woman, who like the 
Master she follows, lavishes her means on 
the sick and wounded soldiers, opens her 
home for the care of the victims of a confia- 



From ToxitK to Age 153 

gration, cherishes the poor children, and, 
best of all, gives herself. 

Whatever the true standard of success, 
it is evident that in order to attain it man 
must carefully conserve and properly use all 
his resources, moral, mental, and physical. 
If he lacks in whole or in part, he must use 
what he has. He may be deformed or 
crippled but he can make use of substitutes. 
I know a man who was born without arms, 
collar bones, and shoulder blades, but he uses 
his toes and feet as if hands. He writes, 
drives, and dresses himself. To all appear- 
ances he does not seem to feel or lament his 
loss. Nelson and Napoleon were undersized. 
While it is good to have a body which is 
sound and whole, one need not succumb to 
fate without even a struggle. Think of what 
Hellen Keller has accomplished, though 
blind, deaf, and dumb! We have compen- 
sations. 

Just so in the kingdom of the mind. My 
memory may not be as good as yours, but 
perhaps my faculty of knowing how and 



154 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

where to find out things may be a very satis- 
factory offset. We cannot start on our 
career fully equipped, "down to the last 
button." We have to learn as we go along. 
We must keep our eyes and ears open that 
we may perceive clearly and correctly. We 
must learn to think in the terms of our work. 
Each business, every enterprise, every situa- 
tion in life has a special vocabulary of its own, 
which must be learned. Many complain 
because doctors use so many Latin and Greek 
words, ignorant of the fact that these pass 
current in all civilized countries, whatever 
their language. Do not these same persons 
smile at the ignorance displayed by doctors, 
for instance, because they do not know the 
meaning of " gamps/ ' "revers," "passemen- 
terie," "muntins," "butts," and so on inde- 
finitely. Learn then the language of your 
business; its every exact shade of meaning; 
remembering that each word is a symbol of 
an idea. On the other hand one only too 
often makes a fetich of words, imagining that 
the mere pronunciation or thought of the 



From Youth to Age 155 

word results in the corresponding action, 
without further effort. Unless one can use 
words clearly, and write as clearly, he cannot 
achieve complete success. 

Man must also learn the technique of his 
special vocation, whether it be laying bricks 
or making a chemical analysis. He should 
have absolute command of this, whether 
simple or intricate, if he wishes to be efficient. 
He must not disregard the little details. 
11 Many a little makes a mickle." He should 
endeavour to comprehend all the relations 
of his work, to himself and to the world ; and 
not be content with following out a simple 
routine. 

Knowing his work, let him be faithful and 
diligent and fervent in spirit; proficient and 
punctual. But when his day's work is done, 
let him have reasonable play — but play which 
will be a re-creation, and not sport which 
exhausts. Even play is sometimes hard 
work. 

Manhood inevitably leads to old age, in 
the ordinary course of events. Many dread 



156 The Kingdom of the Mind 

it just as many dread death. Time has 
been when at sixty the "old f oiks' ' were 
expected to give up business and retire to 
the chimney corner, there to doze away a 
dull and uninteresting existence. Even today 
many "young f oiks' ' seem to care little for 
the "old folks/' and to limit associations 
with them. This is an injury to both parties. 
Notwithstanding Osier, who limits man's 
productiveness to the age of forty, old people 
know better; at least some of them do. 
There is no need of feeling old, if one lives 
aright during youth and manhood. At 
eighty Cato learned Greek, and planted 
trees of whose fruit he himself lived to par- 
take. Gladstone at the same age was prime 
minister of England, and clear and strong 
both in mind and body, whether preparing 
the annual budget or chopping down a tree. 
The genial Autocrat of the Breakfast Table 
was, w T hen "seventy years young," as full 
of energy and cheerfulness as at thirty. 
"Former Governor and Vice-President Mor- 
ton, hale and active in his business as a 



From YoutH to .Age 157 

banker, is an illustration of the fact that age 
is a relative matter, depending largely on 
the individual." 1 

It is high time for the "old" to assert 
themselves. They must insist on perform- 
ing some part of the world's work; some 
activity in social service; and especially in 
assuming positions as counsellors. They 
must refuse to be put on the shelf. They 
need not work so hard — they may justly 
claim more repose — but they are and should 
be important factors in our world. If early 
thrift has brought a competence, the old 
can give more of their time to help others. 
They should also continue all healthy amuse- 
ments. The Japanese and Chinese may well 
teach us our duty by their example of hon- 
ouring the old. 

And old age has a beauty and charm of its 
own, almost if not quite as attractive as the 
graces and loveliness of childhood. Un- 
happy the man who does not love children 
and old people ! His loss is incalculable. 

■ N. Y. World, 1912. 



158 The Kingdom of the Mind 

"Age is opportunity no less than youth 
itself, though in another dress." 1 If less 
strenuous in action, it can better play a 
waiting game. Master of emotions, it is 
more sure and discreet in action ; less impet- 
uous and more stable. And it knows how 
to enjoy the real pleasures of life, and to 
experience those satisfactions of life which 
are durable. It at last can look on life with- 
out fear, and upon its end without shrinking 
— serene and bright throughout. 

1 Longfellow. 



XVI 

WOMAN ALSO AS A RULER 

Can man be free if woman be a slave? — Shelley. 
How sweetly sounds the voice of a good woman! — 

MlDDLETON. 

TJERETOFORE we have used the mascu- 
A * line noun exclusively in our delinea- 
tion of the kingdom of the mind, and its 
rulers, always however employing the word 
"man" in its comprehensive sense. "Male 
and female created he them." As no Salic 
Law controls our kingdom, it seems appro- 
priate to devote some consideration to 
women. 

As a general rule woman has always been 
considered as "the weaker vessel" from the 
days of the cave man up to a comparatively 
recent date. This is the fact in the East 
today, and at least one form of religion — the 

x 59 



160 THe Kingdom of tHe Mind 

Mohammedan — has always placed woman 
on a very low plane. However this mistaken 
practice has arisen is not for me to discuss. 
Rather let me endeavour to picture woman 
as she is — and really always has been — an 
individual, a human being, a producer, just 
as man is. 

Some of us, who are content to be called 
simply men, and not "lords of creation' '; 
who remember our mothers; and who have 
experienced the boundless depths and in- 
exhaustible treasures of a woman's love — 
are beginning to realize what womanhood 
means. It means to us, equality with man; 
a title to all his privileges and subjection to 
all his responsibilities. To some of us — a 
steadily increasing number, 

The woman's cause is man's ; they rise or sink 
Together, dwarf 'd or godlike, bond or free, 
If she be small, slight-natured, miserable, 
How shall men grow? but work no more alone! 
For woman is not undevelopt man, 
But diverse : could we make her as the man, 
Sweet love were slain : his dearest bond is this, 
Not like to like, but like in difference. 



Woman also as a Ruler 161 

Yet in the long years liker must they grow; 
The man be more of woman, she of man; 
He gain in sweetness and in moral height, 
Nor lose the wrestling thews that throw the 

world: 
The mental breadth, nor fail in childward care, 
Nor lose the childlike in the larger mind; 
Till at the last she set herself to man, 
Like perfect music unto noble words. 
And so these twain, upon the skirts of Time, 
Sit side by side, full-summ'd in all their powers, 
Dispensing harvest, sowing the To-be, 
Self -reverent each, and reverencing each, 
Distinct in individualities. . . . 
But like each other even as those who love. 1 

All the signs of the times point to the early 
equalization of the sexes under the law. Not 
much longer will taxation be deprived of the 
power of representation. But women must 
realize that in gaining equal power with men 
they are also assuming equal duties. They 
have varied capacities, diverse talents, de- 
grees of strength, just as men have. They 
also have their own peculiar sources of 
strength and weakness, of virtues and faults. 

1 Tennyson, The Princess. 
xz 



1 62 The Kingdom of the Mind 

In a word, women, just as men, are in- 
dividuals — distinct personalities — and very 
human: 

A creature not too bright or good 
For human nature's daily food. 1 

It has been said that the German idea 
of woman is — " church, cooking, children." 
This idea is good as far as it goes, but let us 
extend it by quoting the tributes of two 
Englishmen — one in the seventeenth and 
the other in the nineteenth century. Says 
Thomas Otway: 

O woman! lovely woman, nature made thee 
To temper man ; we had been brutes without you. 
Angels are painted fair, to look like you. 
There's in you all that we believe of Heaven; 
Amazing brightness, purity, and truth, 
Eternal joy, and everlasting love. 

And dear old, kindly cynical Thackeray, in 
his Essay on Men and Coats, writes : 

"I am the man who respects and loves 
you truly — when you are most lovely and 

1 Wordsworth. 



Woman also as a Ruler 163 

respectable — in your families, my dears. 
A wife, a mother, a daughter — has God 
made anything more beautiful? A friend 
— can one find a truer, kinder, a more gen- 
erous and enthusiastic one, than a woman 
will often be? All that has to do with your 
hearts is beautiful, and a man must be a 
brute not to love and honour you/' 

One would like to quote the last chapter 
of Proverbs, describing the virtuous woman 
in whom the heart of the husband doth safely 
trust, and whose children arise up to call her 
blessed. It is impossible not to add a brief 
paragraph from Xenophon's Econotnicus, 
on the Management of a Farm and House- 
hold. Socrates asks Ischomachus about his 
wife. "I said to her, 'This is our common 
household; for I deposit all that I have as 
in common between us, and you put every- 
thing that you have brought into our com- 
mon stock. Nor is it necessary to consider 
which of the two 'has contributed the greater 
share; but we ought to feel assured that 
whichsoever of us is the better manager 



164 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

of our common fortune will give the more 
valuable service.' " The writer knows of 
nothing so lofty and fine and sensible as this 
little treatise, written over two thousand 
years ago, and nothing more intensely 
interesting. 

Woman, like man, has a body and mind 
and soul. In her body all functions but 
one are performed by the same organs as in 
man, and in practically the same way. 
Anatomically there are some variations, 
but the resemblances are more numerous. 
In one respect woman is different. Destined 
to motherhood, her reproductive organs are 
necessarily adapted to that end, on which 
depends the perpetuity of the race. But 
then so are man's. Neither man nor woman 
is independent of the other. In their union 
only can life really be complete. Whatever 
ethical views we entertain, man must protect 
and safeguard woman during gestation, and 
subsequently in the care of offspring. All 
other members of the animal kingdom do 
this, and to that kingdom we belong — that is, 



Woman also as a Ruler 165 

most of us, for some persons seem content 
to act like vegetables. 

As regards the mind, has not woman the 
faculty of perception? Is she not conscious 
of her individuality? Does she not remem- 
ber? Sometimes man finds her memory 
only too accurate for his own comfort. Wo- 
man can think, and can express her ideas 
clearly and fluently. She can and does 
exercise judgment, although some men ar- 
rogantly call it intuition. She has emotions, 
which are possibly more intense than man's, 
but she can control or direct or yield to 
them — just like a man. And her will is 
certainly vigorous, and she generally uses it. 
She can also be wilful just as man often is. 
She can be stable, constant, faithful, thrifty, 
patient, sincere, reliable, or otherwise. 

Her virtues and her vices are not different 
from those of men. She may be bad, but 
so may man. Women have ruined them- 
selves for men, and men for women. In 
such cases woman heretofore has borne the 
brunt of the resultant disasters — the blame, 



166 The Kingdom of tKe Mind 

ostracism, and in many countries, death. 
But let those of us who condone men's weak- 
nesses while condemning those of women, 
as if they were unpardonable, recall and try 
to follow the life of Him who said: "Let him 
that is without sin amongst you cast the 
first stone/ ' 

Let us then realize that all of us — men, 
women, and children; young and old; of 
whatever race and station — have in common 
bodies, minds, souls, and distinct individual- 
ities. That we all alike depend on one 
another, and owe a duty as well. Each of 
us must strive to be master of self; try to 
make the most of our talents, whether one 
or many. Let us exercise faith, hope, and 
love. Thus, and thus only can either men 
or women properly rule their kingdoms. 

Finally men and women should realize 
that fatherhood and motherhood are their 
noblest duties, their highest privileges. They 
should be in proper condition of both mind 
and body to beget children. They should 
be fit in every sense of the word. The 



Woman also as a R\xler 167 

child, who has no option as to his entry into 
this world, has a right to suitable healthy 
and vigorous parents. And not only should 
his entry be favourable, but his surroundings 
during his period of development should be 
sanitary, and proper. This is what eugen- 
ics means — everything which will promote 
health and strength both of mind and body — 
before and after birth. 



XVII 

JOY IN LIFE 

Joy is a delight of the mind, from the consideration of 
the present or assured approaching possession of a good. 
— Locke. 

The heart grows so large, and so rich, and so variously 
endowed, when it has a great sense of bliss, that it can 
give smiles to some, and tears to others, with equal sin- 
cerity, and enjoy its own peace throughout all. — Haw- 
thorne. 

HTHERE is much joy in life for all of us, 
*■ if we only seek it in the right way. It 
is synonymous with gladness, pleasure, de- 
light, happiness, felicity, bliss, gayety, mirth, 
enjoyment, fruition, and zest. It is higher 
than some of these — more intense but it 
includes them all. We are too apt to think 
of Christ as ' ' a man of sorrows and acquainted 
with grief," but that presents only one phase 
of him. He also had his periods of pure joy, 

168 



Joy in Life 169 

when he lifted the burden from tired should- 
ers, or brought people from darkness into 
light. He loved children, and he must have 
smiled on them. "He went about doing 
good," and what can give more unalloyed 
joy than good deeds? 

There are infinite sources of joy all about 
us, if we will only open our eyes; for the very 
humblest individual as for the most exalted. 
As a matter of fact, endorsed by all history, 
the higher one's station, the less happiness 
and joy as a rule. Poverty is no obstacle 
to joy and wealth no guarantee. The trouble 
with most of us is that we do not or cannot 
see it. We fail to take advantage of the 
occasions. We expect them to come to us. 
They sometimes do, but as a rule we must 
strive for them. We must also deserve them, 
for joy — true joy — is incompatible with 
wrong. The thief may exult over his ill-gotten 
gold, but he cannot really enjoy it. He fears 
detection and punishment. What joy can 
a man have who lives in luxury while em- 
bezzling trust funds! No, joy comes from 



170 TKe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

true deserving, and must be shared with 
others. Is it not our first impulse, unless 
we are very selfish, to call on our neighbours, 
to rejoice with us ? 

All who joy would win 
Must share it, — happiness was born a twin. 1 

Lack of space prevents even mention of 
all the sources of joy, and moreover not all 
are susceptible to the same influences. But 
there are some common grounds on which 
aH of us can meet. 

Life itself; mere existence, should afford 
us some joy. We all have moments when 
our blood circulates vigorously, our nerves 
are keen, we feel strong and full of energy; 
the spring has come ; our business is running 
smoothly; the sun shines, and the world looks 
fair. We feel as if care and sorrow could 
never more afflict us. We could — and some- 
times do — shout for very joy: or we could 
sing and dance. Today is ours — we feel 
it — we know it. We can dare all and do 

1 Byron. 



Jay in Life 171 

all. Hence, all worries, — today we'll be 
glad! 

For other things mild Heav'n a time ordains, 
And disapproves that care, though wise in show, 
That with superfluous burdens loads the day, 
And, when God sends a cheerful hour, refrains. 1 

Love, whether bestowed or received, is a 
great promoter of joy, just as hatred brings 
discomfort and unhappiness. If every man 
could always love his neighbour as himself, 
he would be perfectly happy. True friend- 
ship is an abiding joy; not the false kind that 
seeks only selfish advantages, and is easily 
disrupted when ambition or greed dominates, 
but the friendship which causes us to prefer 
our friend's welfare to our own, if need be. 
The friendship of David and Jonathan is 
one, and a recent sad exhibition is another, 
where self-love has led to coldness, aversion, 
and finally active animosity. 

The joy of giving is said to be greater than 
of receiving. We all can give something of 

x Milton. 



172 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

ourselves. The widow's mite has become 
more renowned than the gift of some Croesus 
to whom even a million looks small. Think 
of the late Dr. Pearson, who gave practically 
his all while he was living. It would not be 
right for everyone to give his all. Duty to 
ourselves and our families forbids, but a 
smile, a kind word, a cordial greeting, a 
helping hand may make a forlorn or dis- 
couraged soul happy. The little gifts, the 
gentle courtesies, the sincere expression of 
regard, the assurance of reliability and 
loyalty, and thoughtfulness for others — 
these are really the great things. 

A great joy often comes to us from doing. 
Idleness never yet brought true bliss to a 
normal man. This does not mean that we 
are never to have periods of relaxation, when 
we can "loaf and invite our souls.' * True 
rest — abandoning for a time all care and 
stress, leaving the busy haunts of men for 
awhile to just drift and dream, forgetting 
all our trials and sorrows — this is what every- 
one needs, and it seems as if everyone would 



Joy in Life 173 

have it, just as we have sleep, if we would 
all work together for the uplift of humanity. 

The " durable satisfaction" which comes 
to us from the successful performance of our 
work is certainly an equivalent of joy. It 
may not arouse in us a condition of ecstasy, 
but it does make us happy. It is hard to 
see how some kinds of work — in mines and 
factories for example can give joy, but I 
have seen it at times in the faces of the 
workers, and when, as they too often do, 
disasters arise, what exhibitions of self- 
sacrifice and heroism are displayed. And 
there is a happiness in work itself — a blessing 
and not a curse — so well exemplified and 
described by President Eliot, who at seventy- 
nine, is devoting a well-earned leisure to 
work for mankind. And if some are dis- 
abled for active work, they may still advise 
others or help them by their example of 
patient submission. Sometimes "they also 
serve who only stand and wait." 

Reading affords a quiet joy which will 
often dispel dulness and ennui. The very 



174 The Kingdom of the Mind 

best books, the masterpieces of all ages, are 
now so cheap that they are within the reach 
of "everyman." It is futile to lay out a 
''course of reading" except to some particu- 
lar individual whose tastes and needs are 
familiar. The " hundred best books " and the 
"five-foot shelf " are not for the multitude. 
But every individual should read something 
every day. The writer is what is called a 
"wide reader" — "all is fish that comes to 
his net" — but he never — no never — could 
wade through John Woolman's Journal; he 
does not think that Dante is the "only one"; 
and he prefers Wordsworth to Browning. 
And he is inclined to dislike those writers 
who have "messages" for this or any other 
century. When we need an interpreter to 
explain a book written in our native language, 
it is time to rebel. If this be folly, make the 
most of it, all ye of superior minds. 

Great joy comes to all who love outdoor 
life, where mind and body both gain new 
vigour and fresh zeal. To lift up our eyes 
unto the hills; to wander through peaceful 



Jay in Life 175 

and smiling valleys; to course down some 
noble river or force its rapids ; to sail on the 
broad and mighty ocean; to watch all ani- 
mated nature, not for killing but for pleas- 
ure; to take deep draughts of pure air; to 
watch the seasons, each with its own beauty 
and fascination, as they come and go; to 
follow the clouds or the heavenly blue by 
day, and the lights by night — are not all of 
these gladsome and exhilarating! And if 
kept at home, can we not enjoy "fireside 
travels"? 

A house with children in it ; a family where 
love and unity dwell; these make for 
joy, whether the dwelling be a mansion 
or a cottage. The old songs — "Home, Sweet 
Home" and "Home Again" — will always 
touch all hearts. Fortunate the prodigal 
who can return to a home and receive a 
father's blessing! Those of us who have a 
happy home should endeavour to establish 
in every large community homes for all the 
solitary workers, whose only abode is a small 
room, cold and cheerless. We should re- 



176 The Kingdom of tHe Mind 

member the thousands in every city who 
are practically homeless. 

We can only allude to the joy of play — 
the many forms of sport which afford healthy 
and sane recreation; the numerous games; 
the varied diversions. The joy of well- 
earned victories is the recompense of hard 
labour, and the defeated are not without some 
gladness if they have done their best. 

Sorrows must come to all of us — pain, 
sickness, death — but if we care for ourselves 
and those dear to us in accordance with the 
dictates of reason and righteousness, we 
need not sorrow as those without hope. 
Even our sorrow may be the precursor of 
future joy; our afflictions a means of grace. 

The memories of a well-spent and pro- 
ductive life will afford us much pleasure. 
As we grow older, and "it is time to take in 
sail," we naturally revert to the past. "The 
turmoil of ideas and sensations is over: we 
see clearly and feel consciously. We are 
in a sort of quiet, in which we peacefully 
enjoy. We have enlarged our perspective 



Joy in Life 177 

sufficiently to perceive things in their true 
proportion and relation. The terrible soli- 
tude of inexperience is broken; we have 
learned to smile at many things besides the 
fear of death. We ought to have learned 
pity and patience. Yes, it is a beautiful 
age." 1 This does not imply that the old 
should not work, but they must now be 
master of it, not the slave. They have 
accumulated a store of recollections which in 
themselves will give a reasonable income; 
the ability to utilize their increasing leisure 
pleasantly and profitably. 

Every period of life has its special joys, 
both mental and physical, but the former are 
the most permanent and satisfactory. Let 
us treasure all our past joys and they will 
not only give us pleasant recollections but 
enhance our hopes for the future. Let us 
cultivate cheerfulness, as "a cheerful temper, 
joined with innocence, will make beauty 
attractive, knowledge delightful, and wit 
good-natured." 2 Let us be merry, not alone 

x Howells. a Addison. 

12 



178 The Kingdom of the Mind 

at Christmas, and happy on every day of 
the New Year. Let us have some fun, and 
even a little nonsense now and then. The 
writer, like many greater men, confesses to 
a fondness for Lear's rhymes, Alice in Won- 
derland y and even Mother Goose. He also 
likes some "books for boys' ' as well as he 
ever did. That your joy may be full, "We 
wish for all of you health enough to make 
hard work a pleasure; wealth adequate to 
the supply of reasonable wants; a courage 
equal to every threat of circumstances; a 
patience that shall outwear vexation, and 
a cheerfulness that shall infect others." 1 
1 Author unknown. A New Year's card. 



XVIII 

WISE AND OTHER-THAN-WISE 

Who then is free? The wise man who can govern 
himself. — Horace. 

A fool and a wise man are alike both in the starting 
place, their birth, and at the post, their death, only they 
differ in the race of their lives. — Fuller. 

A S we all depend more or less on one an- 
** other, we will, if we wish to become 
wise, learn from others — gather from their 
stores of knowledge. Hence no apology 
seems to be necessary for the numerous quota- 
tions we have made. Was it not Montaigne 
who said: "I take my own wherever I find 
it?" The sum total of knowledge is today 
so immense, no one can in the longest life 
acquire more than a small portion. I am 
speaking of real knowing. But there are 
certain fundamental principles, some so- 

179 



x8o The Kingdom of the Mind 

called general, as well as specific knowledge, 
which are within the reach of all. 

We must all then have some knowledge, 
but we must also know how to use it. Here 
enters judgment, which means that "wisdom 
is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom; 
and with all thy getting, get understanding." 1 
Now wisdom is founded not alone on learn- 
ing and knowledge but on experience, and 
the ability to utilize our experience. It 
implies discretion, sagacity, tact, and a keen 
sense of humour. Christ displayed all these 
in his answer to the Pharisees, who asked 
him if it was lawful to pay tribute to Caesar; 
and in many more instances. So with Paul's 
address to Agrippa. 

It is easier to write than to do. Whenever 
we attempt to do anything new we may be 
swayed by prejudices or biassed by our 
emotions, or overcome by our impulses. 
All the writer can do — all he is trying to do — 
is to help everyone who comes within his 
reach to make the_most and the best of life. 

1 Proverbs, iv., 7. 



Wise and Other-tkan-Wise 181 

He has tried it himself for many years, and 
has found it hard, but he is still trying. 

11 Wisdom does not show itself so much in 
precept as in life — in a firmness of mind and 
mastery of appetite. It teaches us to do 
as well as to talk; and to make one's actions 
and words all of a colour/' 1 This means 
that our general course of life should be 
consistent and steady. It does not mean 
that we are never to change our minds, for 
that would be folly and not wisdom. We 
must steer for our port, and go by chart and 
compass, but we must also learn and remem- 
ber that there are possible obstacles and 
dangers on our way. We may meet with 
hidden rocks or partially submerged derelicts 
or sudden convulsions of nature — storms, 
earthquakes — or our vessel may not be well 
and properly equipped. 

As each of us has relations with others — 
society — certain customs and manners neces- 
sarily grow up, and these vary in different 
nations. The wise man pays due respect 

1 Seneca. 



182 TKe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

to these customs, however ungrateful they 
may be to him, because he knows it is wise, 
and realizes that different people think and 
act differently. He does not teach his grand- 
father nor try to impress his father with his 
superior ability. He knows how to conduct 
himself with courtesy and tact. He renders 
unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's. 
Being possessed of wisdom he also possesses 
humility, and does not forget that he is liable 
to err. He knows that there is a proper time 
for everything. 

The foolish man on the other hand often 
rushes in where angels fear to tread. He may 
have courage, but of a kind that impels him 
to undertake the impossible or the unseemly. 
He starts on a journey without due prepara- 
tion. "Luck" may sometimes carry him 
through, but oftener it does not. Discretion 
and tact are unknown quantities to him. 
He talks about pork to an orthodox Jew. 
Ignorant, he thinks he knows. Foolish, 
he considers himself wise. He never hesi- 
tates to express his opinions, but obtrudes 



Wise and OtHer-than-Wise 183 

his puerile and undigested views on all 
occasions. 

Solomon was called a wise man, and he 
was one in many respects. He was a great 
administrator and ruler, and he possessed 
marked literary ability. His proverbs have 
been a help to many, but, like most of us, 
he found practice more difficultthan preach- 
ing. Usually he displayed shrewd judgment, 
but he certainly evinced a lack of wisdom 
in his predilection for converting marriage 
into a corporation. "Seven hundred wives, 
princesses, and three hundred concubines!" 
No wonder "they turned away his heart " — ■ 
which simply shows us that no man is per- 
fectly wise. "Therefore let us take heed 
lest we fall." 

i The wise man conserveth his resources of 
mind and body. He prepares for future 
emergencies. He is thrifty but not miserly 
— generous but not prodigal. He incurs no 
obligations which he cannot keep. When 
he promises he will fulfil, but he is careful 
about his promises. His word is as good as 



184 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

his bond. He not only studies his abilities 
and how to use them, but he also endeavours 
to learn his limitations and to overcome them. 
He avoids boasting and brag. He realizes 
that truth is better than a lie and honesty 
than dishonesty. He cannot always avoid 
controversies but his " discretion deferreth 
his anger, and it is his glory to pass over a 
transgression." 

The fool is he who "wasteth his substance 
in riotous living"; who lives beyond his 
means, falsely thinking he can "keep up 
appearances " ; whereas the community knows 
he cannot. He makes a show, and thinks 
he is admired, whereas the reverse is true. 
He has no conception of economy, either of 
health or wealth. He light-heartedly incurs 
obligations he cannot fulfil, and makes pro- 
mises which he cannot maintain. He is 
usually cheerful but careless, and often dis- 
arms criticisms by a winning manner. 

The fool is not necessarily ignorant, but 
he is heedless. He does not learn from expe- 
rience. He may get through college, but 



Wise and OtHer-tHan-Wise 185 

he never attains success. He can, however, 
sometimes make money. "Lord" Timothy- 
Dexter, who lived in my native town, ac- 
quired a part of his great wealth, by send- 
ing a ship load of warming-pans to the 
West Indies. The shrewd captain converted 
these into sugar strainers! Even fools are 
not altogether fools — they have some redeem- 
ing qualities, some capacity for productive 
work, but they are not reliable. They are 
apt to neglect work for play and even for 
caprice. 

In our use of the words "fool" and "fool- 
ish" we do not mean idiots and imbeciles; 
we mean other-than-wise, and we must high 
colour our picture in order to make any 
impression. All of us at times do foolish 
or unwise things, but usually in reaction to 
impulses which come upon us so suddenly 
that no time is given for reflection. Some 
of us are other-than-wise most of the time. 
The wise man puts by something for a rainy 
day; an umbrella, if he can keep it. The 
unwise man observes literally the rule to 



1 86 The Kingdom of tHe Mind 

"Take no thought for the morrow." The 
former invests his surplus with an eye for its 
security. The latter buys gold bricks, specu- 
lates on a margin, is easily swindled, and 
illustrates the aphorism that "a sucker is 
born every minute.' ' 

Sometimes foolishness becomes criminal, 
as when a man rocks a boat filled with people, 
or expects to alight safely when jumping 
from a car running at full speed; or points 
" unloaded* ' guns at people. Many years 
ago a well-known but cranky ship-builder 
insisted on launching a full-rigged ship with- 
out any ballast, against the advice of people 
who knew. The ship capsized and P. was 
ruined. He was heard to say as the ship 

went over, "P. you're a d d fool!" He 

certainly was a fool. It is foolish and 
criminal to go in bathing in deep water or 
to sail in a canoe unless one can swim; to 
pour kerosene on a live fire; to blow out the 
gas ; to make faces at persons or things you 
dislike, and to worry over anything. It is 
unwise to growl at the inevitable. 



Wise and Other-than-Wise 187 

It ain't no use to grumble and complain ; 
It's just as cheap and easy to rejoice. 
When God sorts out the weather and sends rain — 
Why — rain's my choice. 1 

Wisdom teaches man what true courage is 
— both moral and physical. It aids him in 
banishing morbid and unreasonable fears 
and doubts. It shows him the true values of 
life — love, service, stability, faithfulness, and 
unselfishness. It makes him considerate of 
others, ready to help, courteous and [manly. 
It keeps him in places where he rightly be- 
longs, and out of places where neither duty 
nor legitimate business call him, thus enabling 
him to avoid many troubles or just censure. 
And the truly wise man never abuses his 
mind and^body by excesses of any kind. 

The^unwise man is the exact opposite — 
unstable, unready, impulsive, neglectful, pro- 
crastinating, prone to fears and doubts when 
there is no cause, and on the other hand 
brave to rashness, when discretion would be 
the better part of valour. He is impatient 

*J. Whitcomb Riley. 



188 The Kingdom of the Mind 

of advice. He does not take advice. He 
lives simply for the hour or day. 

Both the wise and the other-than-wise 
may profit by the moral instruction given 
in Japan. " Little Japanese begin studying 
morals as soon as they enter school and con- 
tinue it through their educational course. 
Such Virtues as piety (filial) and obedience 
to elders; affection and friendship; frugality 
and industry; modesty, fidelity, courage, 
and duties towards the State and society. 
Filial piety (three hours); friends (two 
hours); happiness of home (two hours); 
brothers and sisters (two hours); be active 
(two hours) ; don't quarrel (two hours) ; 
don't tell a falsehood (two hours) ; don't try 
to conceal your faults (two hours); don't do 
anything likely to hurt other people (two 
hours). The little children are also given 
lessons on cleanliness, honesty, regularity, 
'other people's faults,' bad advice, magna- 
nimity, frugality, charity, kindness to ser- 
vants, gratitude, friendship, envy, and so on. 
Examples : — Honesty — George Washington 



Wise and OtHer-tKon-Wise 189 

and cherry tree; self-help, independence, 
regularity, public good, and industry — Ben- 
jamin Franklin ; perseverance— Columbus ; 
pity, kindness, and charity — Florence Night- 
ingale; study, sympathy, honesty, and free- 
dom — Lincoln/' 1 

Surely our own land may well imitate the 
above, since morals and mind are one. We 
have in addition the Bible, the greatest of 
books, wherein we can find enough to stimu- 
late and enrich and vitalize our conduct, 
which, like religion itself, is practically the 
whole of life. It is incumbent on each of 
us to avoid unwise acts, to attain unto wis- 
dom, to get understanding — and then we 
will be able to rule the Kingdom of our Mind. 

To quote again — "To dare in a society 
such as ours, to disregard conventions that 
merely hamper life; to have done with useless 
and harmful luxury; to refuse to dedicate 
one's life to the accumulation of material 
things; to avoid all display dictated by selfish 
vanity; to cherish friendship rather than 

1 Baron Dairoken Kikuchi. 



190 TKe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

society, beauty and not adornment, reality 
and never appearance; to hold wealth as an 
obligation and all opportunity as duty; to 
seek only what is truly worth while, and 
to seek that always with one's might — not 
only redeems a man's life, but contributes a 
moral leaven, that helps beyond our hopes, 
to lift the heavy and inert mass of society." 1 
"When nation speaks to nation in the 
tones of friendly greeting 'tis a joy to hear. 
When nations dwell in peace beneath the 
sway of wise, good rulers, 'tis a joy to see." 2 

x Edward Howard Griggs. 

a Mikado's Coronation Ode to King George V., of 
England. 



XIX 

THE CARE OF THE BODY 

Health is the vital principle of bliss. — Thomson. 
Gold that buys health can never be ill spent, 
Nor hours laid out in harmless merriment. 

John Webster. 

HP HIS section is practically similar to the 
* second, but repetition is one of the 
important factors in any line of thought. It 
is our object here to recall attention to cer- 
tain essential things which make for the 
maintenance of a sound body; things which 
everyone should know; many of them things 
which almost everyone does know but fails to 
practice; and things which should be within 
the reach of everyone. Variations and special 
features and requisites are of course to be de- 
termined by physicians, of whom more later. 
Again we must repeat that our bodies are 
191 



192 The Kingdom of the Mind 

vehicles as well as adjuncts of mind and soul, 
and are to be honoured and cherished — not 
despised and neglected. We keep our homes 
in good repair; then why not our bodies. If 
our bodies are incomplete or imperfect medi- 
cal and surgical science come to our aid. 

As we are so constituted that we can only- 
live in the air, and then, for any length of 
time, only when that air is supplied with 
oxygen, it is evident that everyone should 
at all times have an abundant supply of pure 
air. Yet even today thousands do not 
realize this. Impure air may kill quickly, 
as in the Black Hole at Calcutta, or very, 
very slowly. Or it may invite the presence 
of disease. And with pure air we should 
also have as much sunlight as possible. The 
two combined are hostile to all noxious germs. 
Today (May 26, 1912), the papers tell us 
that in New York City there are fifty thou- 
sand, five hundred windowless rooms ! This 
is not only unhealthy but criminal. And 
even in the country there are many places 
just as bad. Such conditions handicap all 



THe Care of tKe Body 193 

exposed to them, especially children. We 
need Pure Air societies just as much as we 
need Social Purity organizations. 

We should all of us have an abundant 
supply of pure and undefiled water, yet here 
again we find that "the people*' — society — 
governments, are not doing their duty, and 
we sit supinely indifferent, since the majority 
of individuals who can make and unmake 
societies and governments do not realize 
their power, or, knowing it, fail to use it. 
After due warning has been given, any indi- 
vidual or corporation or municipality or State 
that in any way pollutes any water sheds, 
ponds, lakes, rivers, brooks, or any other 
source of supply, should be subject to the 
severest punishment, such as long prison 
sentences with hard labour, and confiscation 
of their property. In this vital matter 
every man is his brother's keeper. Guilt 
is always personal. What a disgrace to 
America is our wanton pollution of water ! 

Our bodies are largely made up of water — 
about three quarters — and yet we make no 
13 



194 The Kingdom of tKe Mind 

ado about our water supply until an epidemic 
comes and sweeps off hundreds and even 
thousands of valuable lives. Doctors are 
trying to prevent disease, but in so doing 
they have also to combat ignorance or greed 
or indifference or wilful wrong-doing or graft. 
The third absolute necessity for existence 
is an abundant supply of pure and unadul- 
terated food. Here again "the people' ' — 
one gets sick of the word — whoever they are — 
do not insist upon the absolute carrying out 
of Pure Food Laws. They have allowed Dr. 
Wiley, one of the greatest benefactors, to 
be practically forced out of his position. 
This seems incredible to any thoughtful 
mind, but it is so. But any one who in any 
way adulterates food is practically guilty of 
murder or homicide, and should be severely 
punished — in some cases, even by death. 
The writer knows there are many honour- 
able purveyors; many places where efforts 
are made and laws enacted to secure pure 
food. But this does not controvert the fact 
that today there are many places where the 



The Care of tke Body 195 

conditions surrounding and controlling the 
preparation, care, and distribution of food 
are unhygienic and unsafe ! Let us see to it. 

Air, water, and food maintain our lives, 
give us our power, and either promote or 
impair health according to their character. 
They are the foundations on which our bodies 
are erected. We must next see that our 
lungs expand freely and fully; that our 
stomachs are not overworked; that our diges- 
tive system is kept in order; that our excre- 
tions are promptly and properly removed; 
that our nerves are under control; that our 
muscles are kept firm and supple; that our 
eyes and ears are able to perform their func- 
tions; and that our skin is properly treated. 

One of the essentials of bodily health is 
the exercise of all our bodily powers and func- 
tions, regularly and systematically. He that 
hath eyes, let him see. He that hath feet, 
let him walk. Our muscles, the organs of 
motion, are indispensable for every act. 
Without them we could not move our eyes, 
or hear, or work, or walk. We could not 



196 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

swallow without muscles, nor could the 
stomach and intestines perform their duties; 
the heart could not beat, the lungs expand 
and contract. Therefore every muscle should 
be exercised and exercise should be adapted 
to this end — in other words general and not 
special. s 

The care of the skin is of prime importance. 
Let us repeat that anything which hampers 
or impairs the action of the skin is dangerous 
and may be fatal. If we were completely 
flayed we would rapidly perish. A superficial 
burn of one third of the skin is fatal by reason 
of the shock to the nervous system. Hence 
in addition to cleanliness, the skin should 
receive daily complete ventilation, and ex- 
posure to sunlight when possible. 

Particular attention to the feet is necessary. 
Farthest removed from the heart, their cir- 
culation is naturally apt to be less active, 
and a sluggish circulation anywhere is a 
menace to health and comfort. Men and 
women are both proud and ashamed of their 
feet. It is no disgrace — only a misfortune — 



THe Care of tKe Body 197 

to have excessively small or large, or un- 
shapely feet. But, each person having his 
own feet, whatever their size or shape, should 
have sense enough to clothe them properly, 
and not make bad matters worse by cramp- 
ing and distorting them, and inflicting on 
them any of the abuses which only too often 
make walking or standing one long agony. 

Not only must the body have exercise, 
but it — all its organs and functions — must 
have periods of rest — relaxation — sleep. Ex- 
ercise and rest are of equal importance. 
Fatigue alone may by interference with the 
secretory and excretory functions of the 
body, create poisons which will injure and 
even kill. Correct attitudes should always 
be assumed, whether standing, sitting, or 
walking, and in all our occupations and 
diversions. Awkward and constrained pos- 
tures are very injurious, and should be 
avoided. Let every movement, whether 
little or large, be adapted to its meaning. 
It should have just the right tension — no 
more and no less. Incorrect attitudes, if 



198 TKe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

persistent, hamper our efficiency and invite 
the onset of disease or permanent deformities. 
The care of the body will vary with the 
three periods of life — childhood, the period 
of evolution; manhood, the period of full 
development; and old age, or the period of 
involution. Each period requires different 
treatment, and we must reiterate that a 
family physician should be consulted as to 
the exact course to be pursued by the in- 
dividual during each of these periods. What 
is good for the child may be improper for 
the man, and dangerous, if not fatal to the 
aged. Also remember that there are no 
fixed boundaries between these periods. One 
must also bear in mind that the body is 
affected by the nature of its surroundings — - 
whether mountainous or flat, in town or 
country, near the ocean or inland — by the 
nature of the occupation, and so on. Hence 
it is always the individual and his habitat, 
as well as his temperament, which we must 
consider. With these premises we will for- 
mulate a few general rules. 



THe Care of tKe Body 199 

Avoid excesses of any kind, whether in 
work or play, eating or drinking. 
Never contract any drug habit. Don't 
keep dosing yourself. If you really feel 
sick, consult a doctor. Never take 
patent medicines, the advertised u head- 
ache cures," and the innumerable "cure- 
alls" so profusely advertised. 
Keep all the portals of your body clean 
— the ears, eyes, mouth (including 
throat and teeth), the nose, and the 
rectum. 

See that the bowels are thoroughly 
evacuated every day, and if possible, 
at the same hour. Also empty the 
bladder at regular intervals. Do not 
be governed by a false idea of propriety 
or of modesty. It is of vital import- 
ance to remove all the waste and effete 
matter thoroughly. Disregard of the 
above causes untold misery and disease. 
But, if not regular, do not resort to drugs. 
Regulation of diet and habits will usu- 
ally effect a cure, unless there is some 



200 TKe Kingdom of tHe Mind 

lesion. Therefore follow your doctor's 
advice. 

5. Practice deep breathing. 

6. Take a complete sun and air bath every 
day. Ventilate the skin. 

7. Don't be ashamed to enjoy your food. 
It is proper and correct. The days 
are gone when woman was supposed 
to be so ethereal that she subsisted on 
ambrosia. 

8. Laugh and be merry. 

9. Don't always work on the high pressure. 

10. Avoid over-working if possible. It 
causes fatigue, and fatigue is danger- 
ous. Do not go beyond your strength. 

11. Avoid or mitigate extremes of cold and 
heat. 

12. Be in the open air, as much as possible, 
and get as much sunlight as you can. 

13. Wear light clothing, both summer and 
winter, and do not wear any clothing 
which constricts or compresses any 
part of the body. 

14. Make the most of all powers and forces 



THe Care of tKe Body 201 

and functions of the body: using but 
not abusing them. 

15. Have a thorough physical examination 
by a competent physician every four 
years at least (once a year would be 
better), to ascertain your assets in the 
way of health and strength, and also 
learn your liabilities in the possible or 
threatening precursors of disease. 

16. Everyone — young or old — should be 
taught the laws of reproduction, and the 
dangers of sexual indiscretions and ex- 
cesses. Both sexes need instruction 
which should begin at an early age. 
Next to, and perhaps even more than 
alcohol, sexual abuses cause disease and 
misery, shorten life, and make it bur- 
densome while it lasts. Parents owe 
it to their children to maintain sexual 
health, and to transmit a good inherit- 
ance. Fortunately the community is 
becoming wise on this subject, and 
actual concrete, well-directed, educa- 
tional and practical work is being done 



202 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

by various organizations, and in our 
schools, as well as in the homes. 
17. Finally, and firstly as well, do not be 
always worrying about yourself; con- 
quer your nerves; be of good courage; 
and you can go on your way rejoicing. 



XX 

THE CARE OF THE MIND 

In a disturbed mind, as in a body in the same state, 
health cannot exist. — Cicero. 

A well-balanced mind is the best remedy against 
affliction. — Plautus. 

TN order to care for the mind we must first 
* of all care for its separate faculties; next 
for their combination into one whole — in 
other words — the individual mind; and finally 
mind in its relations to other minds — all of 
these being so intimately connected with the 
body, that they cannot be put asunder, ai.d 
are separated purely for convenience. We 
must also realize that the different periods 
of life and the environment, occupation, and 
temperament demand attention. 

In childhood and youth the parents or 
203 



204 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

guardians and teachers are the ones who have 
a vast influence in developing and mould- 
ing the mind, and on them must be placed 
the responsibility. Childhood is the period 
when impressions are most readily received 
and have the profoundest importance. The 
question of the best method of education has 
not yet been settled. But we know that the 
mind of youth is plastic, and we have learned 
from our acquired knowledge and our in- 
herited tendencies as well as our experience 
that youth is the seed-time. If the young 
do not develop and train their mental facul- 
ties, manhood cannot be complete. 

First of all every mental faculty should be 
developed to its fullest extent, gradually 
but steadily. As everything is based on 
perception, it is evident that accuracy and 
attention are important factors. They do 
not always come easily. How many things 
we miss or fail in because we do not see and 
hear well, and our attention wanders. There- 
fore in giving instructions be sure that you 
speak in clear and distinct tones, and repeat 



THe Care of tKe Mind 205 

if necessary that your auditor can have no 
excuse for misunderstanding. If you prefer 
to write, express your ideas clearly, simply, 
and directly, eliminating all non-essential 
factors. This is a good place to emphasize the 
importance and necessity of the mastery of 
one's native language, and the ability to use 
it. In receiving instructions listen closely 
and concentrate your attention on whatever 
matter is in hand, to the exclusion of every- 
thing else. This will be very profitable as 
well as necessary, as it will form an excellent 
habit. When a boy, the writer was inclined 
to wait until spoken to twice, or to ask for 
repetitions of statements. When his mother 
said: "I cannot find words and ears too," 
he saw a great light, which has not yet 
abated. 

Assuming that the individual has acquired 
the ability to perceive, and to think coherently 
and relevantly and to tell plainly what he 
thinks, he must cultivate his memory, since 
perception and memory are dependent on 
one another, and, when united and normal 



206 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

form the "raw material" of thought. Hence 
one must hold fast that which he has, and 
reach forth for new material. However he 
gains it — by reading, listening, conferring, 
experience, or experiment and research — 
gain it he must, if he would keep up with the 
procession of life, to say nothing of leading it. 
Everyone can find some time for reading, 
if he will. If he only reads for five minutes 
every day, and reflects on what he has read 
during the rest of the day, he will at the end 
of the year find he has largely increased his 
mental treasures. If on any day he does 
not read, he can at least think of some lofty 
and noble theme or sentiment. One can 
always find enough in what he passes by the 
wayside. If in a solitary place, he can 
consider the lilies, or the fields white with 
the harvest, or the birds, or the clouds, or the 
land about him. If in the crowded city he 
can study human nature, and inhuman as 
well. 

As we do not use all our memories all the 
time, and as those which we are not regularly 



THe Care of tHe Mind 207 

using tend to fade more or less, it is well, as 
opportunity offers, to review our acquired 
knowledge. We can thus regain what is 
valuable, and discard the useless. We do 
not recommend the accumulation of facts be- 
cause they are facts, unless they concern us. 
If I want to know about the Kings of Israel 
I do not care to waste my time by com- 
mitting their names and reigns to memory. 
I know where to find out about them in the 
Bible. But I must know the position and 
relations of the brain, nerves, heart, and lungs, 
because that is my business. Learn thor- 
oughly all that concerns you, if you would 
perform your duties properly. Then, and 
only then, add as much as you can about 
other things. The association of ideas will 
prove a great aid. How often does a simple 
idea — an apple blossom for instance — at 
once evoke a host of memories, some of them 
dormant for years. 

Knowing and using our powers of percep- 
tion, ideation, and memory — keeping our 
tools sharp and bright — we must, if we wish 



208 The Kingdom of the Mind 

to care for our minds properly, be guided in 
their direction and action by reasoning and 
judgment. Let us count the cost of every 
new venture of life. Let us also see if we 
have been using good judgment in our past 
work. Are our methods antiquated or up- 
to-date? Are we retrograding, progressing, 
or at a standstill? How do we compare with 
our fellows? Is our mental horizon broad 
or narrow; are we bigoted and dogmatic, 
or are we accessible to, and able to assimi- 
late new truths? It is helpful and stimu- 
lating to mix with others, and not by any 
means always with those in the same line of 
work or thought. 

To keep our mind healthy we must also act. 
The possession of all our mental faculties in 
the highest degree of power goes for naught, 
if we isolate ourselves. We must will to work. 
To do one's duty to self, family, community, 
and state, to home and society, necessarily 
implies a healthy mind. One may fail at 
times, but the desire and will remain, and one 
will rise tonew efforts. Action, and again 



THe Care of tKe Mind 209 

action should be the aim of life. Inaction 
means absence of life, or its degradation. 

Having already discussed the emotions 
in a previous section it is here only necessary 
to recommend the cultivation of those that 
ennoble, enrich, and cheer. Love and sym- 
pathy and hope and courage and faith will help 
us bear our burdens with patience — whether 
sorrows, griefs, disappointments, or thwarted 
ambitions. Optimism not only cheers us but 
our fellows as well. Cultivate it. It makes 
life happier and better, and prolongs it. Pes- 
simism makes its possessor and everyone 
within his reach unhappy or uncomfortable. 

When the youth reaches maturity he will 
be prepared for life's work if he has learned 
the normal functions of soul, mind, and body, 
and their interdependence. But maturity 
does not find itself free to live on the interest 
of its capital. It must strive to the end — 
it is more than ever important when full 
responsibilities begin. Our motto must be 
"Onward and upward.' ' 

Let us briefly consider some of the things 

14 



210 The Kingdom of tKe Mind 

which count, and which everyone can in some 
degree do. 

1. He (or she) should strive after sym- 
metry — to maintain an even balance — to 
have more than one idea. Hence he should 
try to keep "a sound mind in a sound body." 

2. He should be able to control or direct 
his emotions — to rule his spirit — to act with 
due deliberation. In emergencies, where 
action must be prompt, he may sometimes 
be overcome by his emotions, and then dis- 
aster follows. 

3. Avoid selfishness — it dwarfs both mind 
and soul. Self-preservation demands, and 
it is right that we should care for ourselves 
and those dependent on or connected with us. 
But we should also care for our neighbour, 
and share our joys and blessings with him. 

Not have I yet the narrow mind 

To vent that poor desire 
That others should not warm them at my fire. 

I wish the sun should shine 
On all men's fruits and flowers as well as mine. 1 

1 Ben Jonson. 



THe Care of tKe Mind 211 

With selfishness go envy, jealousy, bigotry, 
covetousness, and greed — shun them! 

4. Broaden your horizon as far as maybe. 
Avoid the fate of Darwin, who — a lover of 
music, art, literature, and society — neglected 
them all during his long years of absorption 
in his great work, only to discover to his 
dismay when it was finished, that he could 
no longer enjoy any of his former delights. 
Thus his old age was tedious and wretched. 

5. Cultivate the imagination. Try to 
see the possible glories of the future in the 
sometimes prosaic realities of the present. 
Build castles in the air — you will enjoy it — 
but always remember they are air. Let the 
primrose by the river's brim be somewhat 
more than a botanical specimen, interesting 
and valuable as that is. Think what the 
"Primrose League' ' means to England. 

6. Always have at least one hobby — a 
side issue — but do not ride it to death, like 
the man "who gave up business because it 
interfered with his golf." 

7. Superstitions prevail even today more 



212 The Kingdom of tKe Mind 

than they should. If we confessed, we all 
have them. But they are ridiculous when 
they are not harmful. Seven of my happiest 
years were passed in a house numbered 13; 
I prefer to undertake a new "adventure in 
life or letters" on a Friday; and I have a 
feeling of satisfaction when I first see the 
new moon over my right shoulder! To be 
sure, nothing ever came of it ! 

8. Fears can be overcome, if we will face 
apparent dangers with courage. They are 
often desirable, as they cause us to stop and 
think. If we live aright, we shall not fear 
even death. 

9. Endeavour each day to perform some 
good and kindly act, to lift some one's bur- 
den, to encourage some disheartened soul, 
to sympathize with a neighbour in his 
successes as well as in his sorrows, to help 
little children to radiate sunshine. If you 
really love your neighbours you will do this 
instinctively. It brings warmth to one's 
heart, and it is a wonderful antidote to 
selfishness. 



The Care of the Mind 213 

10. Avoid excessive self-consciousness. 
People are not always thinking or talking 
of you. They are not prepossessed in your 
favour by your unwarrantable displays of 
extravagance and show. When your gaudy 
trappings are removed — if you have any — 
when all those accessories which can be 
bought or assumed are put off — you are 
only an individual, an atom, and to a man 
high up in an aeroplane we all look pretty 
nearly of a size. No man — but one — has 
ever yet lived, who is absolutely essential; 
the world will still revolve when we are 
dead. Let us then put on no airs! 

11. Despise not little things — they make 
up the bulk of our daily lives. Striking 
displays of heroism are not vouchsafed to 
most of us. But if we are faithful in little 
things we shall be better prepared for great 
occasions. 

12. Avoid meanness y which is always 
despicable; trying to over-reach, to annoy, 
to get the better of one, to slander, to vilify. 
Meanness is the lowest depth, short of crime, 



214 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

which mars one's life. One can sooner 
forgive any other fault. 

13. Begin — and end — the day aright. 
Try to secure a little time on arising to plan 
the day's work. On retiring divest your 
mind of all ill-will, anger, hatred, and all 
malice. 

Now I get me up to work, 

I pray the Lord I may not shirk: 

If I should die before the night, 

I pray the Lord my work's all right. 1 

14. Remember that from our earliest 
years we are building our character and 
acquiring a reputation. Character — what a 
man is, and reputation — what others think 
he is, are either rewards for well-doing or 
penalties for failure. 

We have described desirable things to do; 
now let us consider a few dorCts. 
Don't worry. Why should we? 
Don't brood too much over the past. 1 
Don't get into ruts. 

x Anoretta Fitch. 



THe Care of tHe Mind 215 

Don't make a fetish of routine. 

Don't make mountains out of molehills. 

Don't cry before you are hurt. 

Don't fear unless there is good reason. 

Don't lose your self-respect. 

Don't be ashamed of your work. 

Don't be a slave to conventionality or 
fashion. 

Don't repine because you cannot do every- 
thing. 

Don't try to do two things at once. 

Don't procrastinate. 

Don't be deceitful or two-faced. 

Don't be arrogant or supercilious. 

Don't neglect your duty. 

Don't fail to be considerate and courteous. 

Don't hide your candle under a bushel, 
but let your light shine. 

Don't bury your talents, but utilize them. 

Don't overwork, but devote some time to 
play. 

If we live uprightly in all our ways, fol- 
lowing the Golden Rule; if we have kept 
our minds open to new impressions; if we 



21 6 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

have used and not abused our bodies and 
minds, we may often defer old age, and make 
it, when it does come, useful, happy, serene, 
and confident. 

If I can live 
To make some pale face brighter, and to give 
A second lustre to some tear-stained eye, 

Or e'en impart 
One throb of comfort to an aching heart, 
Or cheer some way-worn soul in passing by; 

If I can lend 
A strong hand to the fallen, or defend 

The right against a single envious strain, 

My life, though bare 
Perhaps of much that seemeth dear and fair 
To us of earth, will not have been in vain. 

The purest joy, 
Most near to heaven, far from earth's alloy, 
Is bidding cloud give way to sun and shine. 1 

1 New York Times Book Review, Author not named. 



XXI 

THE DOCTOR AS COUNSELLOR 

Though Love use Reason for his physician, he admits 
him not for his counsellor. — Shakespeare. 

Is 'there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? 
Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people 
recovered? — Jeremiah 8, 22 

CVERYONE who would rule his mind 
*-** should have counsellors, and inasmuch 
as mind, body, and soul are on this earth 
indivisible and inseparable while life lasts, 
the physician should frequently be called 
on for counsel. As our discussion is limited 
to the things of the body and mind, we will 
pass by the consideration of strictly spiritual 
matters, important as these are. 

A doctor first of all must know all that 
modern science can tell him of the body, and 
its wonderful structure, from and preceding 
217 



218 The Kingdom of the Mind 

birth to the last moment of existence; and 
he should understand or recognize all the 
forces — within or without the body, which 
threaten its health and integrity. He must 
also know that individuality — the personal 
equation — has a great deal to do with people, 
whether sick or well. He must appreciate 
and utilize in his counsel and treatment a 
comprehension of the reactions and inter- 
relations between mind and body. 

Not only must the physician have know- 
ledge of health and disease, but he must 
strive to keep pace with the ever and rapidly 
increasing discoveries of medical science. 
The field is now so vast that only a very ex- 
ceptional doctor can do this, and even he 
only in a very general way. Hence of late 
the rapid increase of specialists. But every 
doctor should know the fundamental laws 
of health, and also know when and where he 
needs counsel. 

The true and whole function of the physi- 
cian is a little better understood by the laity 
now than it was thousands of years ago, but 



THe Doctor as Counsellor 219 

even now the laity has much to learn. The 
physicians are the only persons, so far as the 
writer can learn, who are constantly striv- 
ing to decrease their professional income. 
Are they not the men who are trying to 
stamp out diseases? What about tubercu- 
losis, and typhoid, and malaria, and yellow 
fever, and the hook-worm! The recent treat- 
ment by vaccines, and antitoxine have pre- 
vented much illness. "Preventive medicine" 
is today the watchword of the profession. 

Who are the men who know most about 
hygiene, and sanitation, and about the many 
varied sources of infection, and who are 
the first to urge the adoption of protective 
measures? Was it not a doctor who discov- 
ered vaccination for smallpox, thus saving 
unnumbered thousands from a most loath- 
some disease? And yet today many persons 
of apparently more than average intelligence 
are fighting against this vital proceeding! 
Did not doctors discover the germs — both 
benign and malignant — which have so much 
to do with us, in health or disease? Are they 



220 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

not now working with intense energy and 
zeal to discover other causes of disease? 

Many persons grumble at the doctor's 
bills, which are usually the last they pay. 
Not many doctors accumulate riches. But 
all the good doctors — the great majority of 
all doctors — never patent or in any way com- 
mercialize their discoveries and inventions! 
No, they are free gifts to a sick world. Can 
you, intelligent reader, imagine Koch, or 
Pasteur, or Flexner, or Noguchi, or any 
others of the noble and unselfish men who 
are among our great benefactors, patenting 
remedies they have discovered? It is un- 
thinkable! But some few unscrupulous doc- 
tors, and all quacks, are working solely for 
money; absolutely indifferent to the welfare 
of their credulous victims, 

A singular thing to my mind is the un- 
doubted fact that many persons who by their 
more elevated stations and higher education 
ought to know and do better, are sure to rush 
to the man with the latest advertised fad, 
passing by the old, steady, reliable physician, 



TKe Doctor as Counsellor 221 

whom they have known for years, and whom 
the community as a whole respects. One of 
my friends, now dead, during the last twenty 
years of his life, to my personal knowledge 
carried out twenty different systems of 
treatment for indigestion, and on one occa- 
sion he was trying three methods at the same 
time! And yet he occupied a responsible 
and lucrative position, and was a man of very 
wide culture. 

The doctor who lives in your own town; 
who has ushered you or your children into 
the world; who has saved your sight; who 
has fought for your life against great odds; 
who has responded to your calls in the wildest 
night ; who has taught you how to take proper 
care of yourself; who has usually succeeded, 
but has sometimes, like other men, failed; 
whose cheering presence at your bedside 
has often brought courage, and hope, and 
comfort, and relief — this doctor, like "the 
beloved physician" whom Paul loved, and 
Christ called — he is the man best fitted to 
be your counsellor. 



222 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

You have all read "they that are whole 
need not a physician ; but they that are sick" z 
This was the prevailing idea two thousand 
years ago — it still prevails to some extent 
today — but now medical science proves con- 
clusively that the reverse is true. It is the 
whole who need a physician, at least as much 
as the sjck, in order, if possible, to keep whole, 
since prevention is easier than cure. 

Is then the physician an angel, or a super- 
man? No, he is simply a human being, like 
all the rest of mankind. But if every per- 
son would take time to consider, would he 
not find that in city and country, in winter 
and summer, in the midst of pestilence or in 
the scant leisure of a very busy life, the aver- 
age physician stands out as a man of char- 
acter and integrity, a faithful friend and an 
honoured citizen? 

Does one need any further argument to 
convince him that in the ruling of his own 
kingdom he needs and can find no better 
counsellor than a physician? In any illness 

1 Luke v., 31. 



THe Doctor as Counsellor 223 

there always arise more or less mental symp- 
toms, largely of a depressive character, and 
these do not always pass away when the 
disease has departed. Even when our men- 
tal kingdom is apparently sound and stable, 
the cares and hurry and tumult of today 
cause undue tension and strain. The wise 
man will therefore consult his physician just 
as he does, or ought to, visit his dentist, at 
least four times a year, to ascertain his exact 
condition. 

Physicians are not regardless of their duty 
to mankind. We cannot enumerate all their 
efforts to prevent disease and to alleviate 
the ills flesh is heir to. But we may allude 
to their efforts to establish a Bureau for the 
care and protection of man. It seems in- 
credible that there should be any opposition 
to a measure (the Owen bill) for treating 
men, women, and children as well as we do 
hogs and cows! It would seem that every 
parent, every intelligent man and woman 
would help in this great work. 

The doctor must counsel and guide the 



224 THe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

young, help manhood, and defer old age, 
or make it pleasant and serene. He is en- 
deavouring to instruct the community about 
the ravages — often concealed — of venereal 
diseases, which are responsible for much of 
mental disorders — general paresis for exam- 
ple — as well as physical. He knows the 
importance of eugenics, and is endeavouring, 
with the aid of intelligent workers in other 
avocations, to prevent the procreation of the 
unfit. He is trying to have proper care of 
the feeble-minded, of all degrees, as well as 
the criminal, established throughout the land. 
Let us then all work together for our mu- 
tual good, for the promotion of the highest 
and best in each individual, both physical, 
mental, and spiritual, thus converting possi- 
bilities into realities. There seems to be no 
limit to the attainments possible to man. 
Let us all strive to go up higher and higher, 
cherish our ideals, and help our weak brethren 
at the same time, lest they fall by the wayside. 



XXII 

OUR WEAK BRETHREN 

Ephraim is a cake not turned. — Hosea 7, 8. 

TN ancient Sparta all new-born infants were 
* exposed — naked — on Mount Ida, for a 
certain time. Those who survived — and 
some did survive, were considered fit for the 
duties of life, as then understood. 

Today we use every means known to 
science to preserve the lives of the unfit y 
whether from bodily or mental defect. As 
a consequence we have not institutions 
enough to accommodate them. Many per- 
ish in early youth or manhood, while others 
may attain an advanced age. 

No one now would for a moment contem- 
plate a return to the methods of Lycurgus 
— common humanity forbids. But the de- 
is 225 



226 TKe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

fectives are a menace to and a burden on 
society, and call for some action. All soci- 
ety can do for the defectives now living is 
to train those who can be trained, and to 
seclude in proper institutions those who are 
incapable of acquiring much if any educa- 
tion, especially the large number who are 
dangerous to society. But laws should be 
made and enforced preventing the procreation 
of the unfit, 

Marriage is altogether too easy. Public 
opinion is fast being crystallized and is now 
demanding relief from the results of improper 
marriages. Many clergymen are refusing to 
marry people unless they can bring medical 
certificates of mental and physical soundness. 
A few States have had laws forbidding the 
marriage of epileptics and feeble-minded, 
but they have not been enforced. 

The sterilization of defectives and degen- 
erates is now a legal process in some States, 
and should be in all. If this could be thor- 
oughly carried out, it would in a compara- 
tively short period, greatly, if not wholly 



Our Weah Brethren 227 

decrease the number of the unfit. The 
surgical operation necessary is quite simple 
— ovariotomy in the female, and vasectomy 
in the male. This operation, and the sup- 
pression of marriage for those who are 
defective, would be of great benefit to the com- 
munity. Many intelligent men and women 
are now voluntarily single, because they do 
not wish to inflict on their possible children 
certain inheritances which they know are 
bad. It is a grave problem which confronts 
us, but who can doubt its solution, when he 
considers how many of the most upright and 
intelligent people, of all classes and profes- 
sions, are now engaged in the work of pre- 
vention and education. 

The last Census Report is not available, 
but it is safe to say that in this year of 191 6 
there are at least two hundred thousand im- 
beciles or feeble-minded in the United States, 
or one in four hundred of the population. 
Then there are " backward children" (num- 
ber not known) whose defect may be curable, 
when due to physical disorders, as adenoids, 



228 The Kingdom of tKe Mind 

for example. The number of insane in this 
country is alarming — an average estimate 
being one to every three hundred and fifty 
of the population. In addition we have the 
criminals, all of whom present more or less 
mental deformity or inadequacy. 

Defectives are liable to commit all sorts 
of outrages. Dominated wholly by their 
emotions and feelings — appetites and pas- 
sions — they yield to every impulse, normal 
or abnormal. They are prone to sudden 
outbursts of passion or anger, when they 
scream or prowl, break furniture or glass, 
or commit all sorts of assaults on innocent 
bystanders. They may kill, set fires, mal- 
treat and mutilate themselves or others, and 
they are very subject to sexual excesses and 
perversions. Many imbeciles commit rape. 
Any one of us is liable to be their victim. 

The " general public" is not awake to the 
dangers, to say nothing of the burdens im- 
posed on it by the defectives and insane. 
Much is being done by Societies for Mental 
Hygiene, Social Service, and the like, but 



Ovir Weah Brethren 229 

much more remains to be done. Let each of 
us make his own kingdom sound and stable, 
and then, and then only, will we be in a posi- 
tion to wisely help our weaker brother or 
sister. Sin and evil still exist in this world; 
human nature being what it is, we cannot 
expect to abolish them in a day. Neither 
should we sit idly by, doing nothing for our- 
selves or our neighbours, because we cannot 
live up to our ideals. Let each one do and 
give his very best, leaving the ultimate re- 
sults to a Higher Power, and our consciences 
will be clear, even if at times we fail. 

It is clear then that much can be, and is 
already being done for the defectives. The 
work of Fernald, Goddard, Schlapp, and 
many others demonstrates this. New meth- 
ods of instruction are being utilized. Town 
and States are taking or considering action. 
This is the era of philanthropy. Hospitals 
and other institutions are almost daily mul- 
tiplying, and still the demand comes for more. 
The overcrowding of our institutions is evi- 
dence of the crying needs of today. 



230 TKe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

It seems superfluous to tell any normal 
person that the presence of any disorder in 
the community — whether disease, degenera- 
tion, or defectiveness — tends to impair the 
integrity of the minds and bodies of the well. 
But it is a fact. Nothing that is unwhole- 
some or unsound is beneficial. 

Now the import and intent of this section 
is to emphasize the importance of the proper 
care and training of all children, ever bearing 
in mind that they are not and should not 
be considered collectively — in a mass — but 
individually. The backward and defective 
must not keep back the average or the excep- 
tionally bright child. Proper education, 
suited for all grades of intellectual endow- 
ment, is costly, but in the end is true econ- 
omy. We must aim to make "whole" 
people, since they are the ones who will per- 
form the work of the next generation. Re- 
versing Artemas Ward's epigram, we must 
do something for posterity, even if "posterity 
has never done anything for us." Narrow 
and mean is the mind which would do no- 



Oxir Weah Brethren 231 

thing for those who come after us but impose 
burdens. 

But to fulfil our duty to ourselves and our 
children, it is of prime importance to know 
all we can about the latter. A great neces- 
sity is to have a census of all children, em- 
bodying all the factors of their mental and 
physical make-up, their environment, and 
so on. The system adopted in New York 
is of extreme value. 

"New York's* children from four to six- 
teen are being card-indexed by the blocks 
in which they live. The work is done by 
the Police and School Departments. When 
it is completed, used in connection with the 
Health Department's card-index, the city 
will have a complete, accurate, skeleton 
biography of its future citizens. 

"Already these departments collect and 
record the nationality, age, names of parents, 
and date of their marriage. A child's birth 
is recorded, his entrance and departure from 
school, his physical condition and other 
facts up to the time of his marriage. A re- 



232 The Kingdom of the Mind 

cord is also kept of the diseases from which 
he suffers, especially those of a contagious 
nature. 

4 'Such record of citizens, accurately kept 
is of inestimable value. It makes possible 
the comparative scientific study of children. 
It enables doctors to reach important con- 
clusions as to the liability and to after-effects 
of diseases. It helps in the great and com- 
mendable work of decreasing New York's 
death rate." 

It is to be hoped that every physician will 
realize the burden imposed on the community 
by the unfit; will carefully and completely 
study every child whom he knows to be 
defective or degenerate; will also devote 
equal attention to those apparently fit; and 
in addition give an accurate statement of 
the individual's environment. We have in 
many places medical inspectors of schools 
and scholars. We need in addition careful 
investigation and inspection of all below the 
school age. 

Let us then help the poor and weak to help 



Our Weah Brethren 233 

themselves so far as possible. Still more 
should we strive to prevent disease, poverty, 
weakness, and crime. The outlook for the 
future is encouraging. Let everyone "look 
forward and not backward, upward and not 
downward, and lend a hand." Here's mine. 



XXIII 

WHAT EVERYBODY OUGHT TO HAVE 

The secret of happiness is — never to go grubbing for 
mean motives in this life; never tormenting yourself what 
this might mean, or that other portend; but take the world 
for what it seems, or what it wishes you to believe it. 
Take it with its company face on, and never ask to see 
any one in dishabille, but old and dear friends. Life has 
two sides, and some men spin the coin so as always to 
make the wrong face of the medal come uppermost. I 
learned the opposite plan when I was very young, and I 
have not forgotten it. — Charles Lever. 

The greatest happiness comes from the greatest ac- 
tivity. — Bovee. 

A FTER all is said and done the real goal 
"^ for which we all strive, consciously 
or otherwise, is happiness. Our opinions 
may and do differ as to the meaning of hap- 
piness, and how to secure it for ourselves 
and bestow it on others. This will always 
be the case — as it always has been — since 
the first man and woman appeared. 

234 



WT\at Everybody CXugfHt to Have 233 

How easy it is to make a little child happy ! 
and as he grows older, how much harder it 
is, especially if he has not been well trained. 
The first letter, " written with real ink," the 
first trousers with real pockets, the first doll — 
how we recall them ! It is not hard to make 
the aged happy. They have abandoned 
most of their illusions, are acquainted with 
sorrows, have a realization of what human 
nature is, and their expectations are not 
extreme, but they have by no means lost 
their capacity for enjoyment. The simple 
deference which youth and manhood should 
always pay; the little daily services and 
attentions which display a kindly regard; 
the true courtesy which neither by word, 
look, nor manner indicates that we consider 
them "laid on the shelf "; the genuine love 
which we should not only feel but manifest 
— these are the ways. 

It is hardest to make the grown man or 
woman happy. Engaged in the struggle for 
existence, with perhaps many hopes and 
ambitions thwarted, with many trials and 



236 TKe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

troubles, many with small means and a large 
family, often overworked or sick — they per- 
haps think happiness is out of reach or hard 
to secure. Perhaps the real trouble is that 
they make happiness their only aim. They 
forget that we must pay a price for every- 
thing we have in this world. 

If the writer has presented his subject 
clearly, it should be evident to all who have 
read the preceding pages and gathered their 
meaning, that some happiness is within the 
reach of everyone. Let us consider a few 
points. 

First, we have bodies, and we are alive. 
We have numerous means of communica- 
tion with all things, animate or inanimate, 
inside as well as outside ourselves. We have 
minds, by means of which we can convey 
our thoughts and wishes. We have, or can 
have, memories which can place within our 
reach the glories of the past, the actualities 
of the present, and hope for the future. We 
have emotions which may beautify our lives, 
and, if rightly directed and controlled, may 



WHat Everybody OugHt to Have 237 

enable us to bear the sorrows and disappoint- 
ments which come to all, and give us courage 
to keep on. 

Next, the more unselfish, the less self- 
seeking we are, so much happier are we. 
This is the universal experience of mankind; 
it will be recognized, if not acknowledged, 
by the most selfish man who ever lived, if 
he even for one moment stops to think. As 
said before, everyone has a right and a duty 
to maintain his own standing — his " calling 
and election' ' — but he must remember that 
he is not alone; there are others. Paradoxi- 
cal as it may seem, one may s&ve his life by 
losing it, and happiness cannot be monopo- 
lized by the rich. In a rather large experi- 
ence I have found that money alone does not 
bring much true pleasUre. 

Again, being alive, and unselfish, we are 
ready and able to do. Hence the third essen- 
tial for genuine happiness is to know exactly 
what our resources are, and how to employ 
them. We must try, as did that wise man, 
Socrates, to know ourselves. Let us realize 



238 THe Kingdom of tHe Mind 

the extent of our bodily, mental, and moral 
forces — just how far we can go! and then 
let us go. 

Now, being alive, unselfish, and knowing 
as much as we can about ourselves, we are 
prepared to seek the very highest source of 
happiness known — service. Comparisons are 
odious, but there is no doubt that a blessing 
comes both from receiving and giving. The 
real point is, it seems to me, to serve because 
it is right, and proper — the normal output of 
our lives — and not wholly for the values we 
may receive. If we also love to serve, so 
much the better. 

Moreover, in order to render service either 
to ourselves or others, we must conserve all 
our mental and physical resources, add to 
them if possible, and always keep in training. 
Hence the need of a trainer, who should 
always be a physician. This trainer will 
be even more ready to keep you well and to 
get you well, if you will listen to him and 
follow his advice. 

It is not enough to have the power and 



WHat Everybody OugHt to Have 239 

the wish to serve, but we must always learn 
the right way. There are too many well- 
meant but misdirected efforts in every 
field of endeavour. Let every step be thor- 
oughly estimated, and lead logically to the 
next. Haste makes waste, therefore take 
time for deliberation and counsel. Having 
begun, persevere unto the end. 

We should also learn that service embraces 
the little as well as the big things of life. A 
kind word, a friendly smile, and wise counsels 
are as effectual and important as bestowal 
of money; often more so. If we cannot reach 
people by our words and deeds, let our lives 
speak for us. Some one recently said: "Our 
minister's life is a better sermon than he 
ever preached, and he is a good preacher too, 
but he practises what he preaches." 

Again, we must study the grave problems 
which today confront the whole civilized 
world. Perhaps the word unrest will com- 
prise them all. The "workingman" so- 
called, is dissatisfied. The "idle rich" — 
really a very small proportion — for most "rich 



240 THe Kingdom of tHe Mind 

men" have to work harder than day labour- 
ers, are hard pushed to relieve their ennui. 
Political parties are unsettled and dissolving. 
Nations are seeking new fields of conquest. 
Everything is moving as never before. The 
excessive disproportion between the incomes 
of the rich and the poor is causing increasing 
discontent. There is certainly enough work 
for us all. 

The "simple life" is well-nigh impossible 
in our complex business and social affairs. 
Modern inventions enable us to daily get the 
news from almost the entire world. We 
have become very impatient of delay. We 
are always in a hurry. It is difficult to let 
our moderation be known to all men, because 
we have very little of it. We are expected to 
be strenuous, to hustle, to move forward. We 
cannot wait for the train to stop, and block 
the aisles before it comes to a standstill. Hav- 
ing left it, many of us can wait a few minutes 
to see a dog fight, only to rush on again as if 
we had not a moment to live. Nowadays, 
even loafers have to hustle in order to loaf. 



"WHat Everybody OugHt to Have 241 

We are apt to carry our business affairs 
into our leisure hours. We want to get on, 
to hold up our end, to "keep up appearances/' 
The desire for riches is like a consuming 
fire with many. New inventions, new and 
frequently changing fashions, political con- 
tests — these and many more things keep us 
in almost constant tension. Hence "those 
nerves" 1 — the alarming increase of hysteria, 
"nervous exhaustion," undue irritability, 
and worry! Unrest seems to be the promi- 
nent feature of modern civilization. Add 
to these overwork, and we see the reason 
why so many sanitariums and "rest cures" 
are flourishing — why so many men go to 
Muldoon's. 

To return to our individual kingdom of the 
mind, is it not evident that it is real, and 
needs a real ruler? And if it be ruled aright 
— if each ruler will foster his strength and use 
it properly — will not happiness come, and 
a reasonable amount of prosperity? "Man- 
kind are always happier for having been 

1 George L. Walton, M.D. 



242 TKe Kingdom of tKe Mind 

happy, so that if you make them happy now, 
you make them happy twenty years hence 
by the memory of it." 1 

x Sidney Smith, Lecture on Benevolent Affections. 



INDEX 



Action, 208 
Addison, 19, 76 
Age, 156 
Air, pure, 9, 192 
Ambition, 109 
Anger, 88 
Attention, 42, 73 
Automatism, 60, 63 

Bacon, 123 

Baths, air and sun, 17 
Body, the, 6 
Bovee, 69 

Breathing, deep, 13 
Byron, 120 

Channing, 90 
Character, 214 
Cheerfulness, 87 
Children, 148, 204, 231 
Cicero, 69, 135 
Circulation, the, 10 
Clothing, 18, 200 
Conduct, 99 
Confidence, 1 16 
Confucius, 129 
Conscience, 70 
Consciousness, 36, 39 
Conservation, 108 
Constancy, 137 
Control, 78 
Co-operation, no 
Courage, 138 
Courtesy, 74 



Cowley, 79 
Cultivation, 53, ill 
Curtius, 103 
Customs, 182 

.*» 
Decision, 139 
Defectives, 226 
Delaune, 67 
Development, 204 
Diet, 12 

Distractibility, 45 
Doctor, the, 219 
Doing, 172 
Don'ts, some, 215 
Dryden, 113, 143 

Eating, 1 1 
Education, 129, 147 
Emotions, 80 
Environment, 10 
Envy, 86, 88 
Eugenics, 167, 224 
Exercise, 121, 195 
Extravagance, 116 

Fatigue, 20 
Fear, 88, 212 
Feelings, 80, 94 
Feet, care of, 17, 196 
Folly, 184 
Food, 9, 10, 194 
Friction, 105, 118 
Froude, 95 



243 



244 



Index 



Gardner, 108 
Giving, 171 
Goethe, 141 
Goldsmith, 72, 109 
Griggs, 25, 189 

Habits, 148 

Hallucinations, 34 

Happiness, 85, 151, 235, 241 

Hatred, 87 

Health, 191 

Herbert, 137 

Hibben, 56 

Hobby, 211 

Holmes, 141 

Homer, 139 

Howells, 84 

Humility, 141 

Ideas, 54, 57 
Illusions, 34 
Imagination, ill, 21 1 
Impressibility, 50 
Impulses, 93, 95 
Indifference, 88 
Individuality, 22, 126, 218 
Insane, 228 
Instability, 118 
Irresponsibility, 120 

Japan, system of education, 

188 
Jealousy, 88 
Jonson, 134 
Joy, 85, 150, 168 
Judgment, 69 

Knowledge, 129 

Language, 154 
Life, 170, 240 
Limitations, 77 
Little things, 75, 239 
Longfellow, 102 



Love, 85, 171 
Lowell, 42, 69 

Macauley, 132 
Manhood, 151 
Manners, 74, 181 
Marriage, 226 
Maudsley, 112 
Maupassant, 65 
Meanness, 213 
Memory, 46, 176 
Milton, 171 
Mind, 19, 124 
Montaigne, 78 
Morals, 95, 99 

Napoleon, 113 
Nerves, 15 
Nonsense, 178 

Optimism, 106, 209 
Orientation, 39 
Otway, 162 
Outdoor life, 174 
Over-confidence, 1 15 
Over-work, 20, 200 

Park, 56 -*- 
Patience, 1 40 
Peabody, 6 
Peace, 104 T 
Perception, 28 
Perseverance, 142 
Pessimism, 107 
Play, 176 
Pope, in 
Pride, 87 
Problems, 239 
Progress, 133 

Quarles, 144 

Ray, 4 

Reading, 65, 173, 206 



Index 



245 



Relaxation, 197 
Rest, 197 
Retentiveness, 51 
Rulers, 123 
Ruts, 67 

Satisfaction, 173 
Self -consciousness, 213 
Self-control, 131 
Selfishness, 210 
Senses, 28 
Service, 238 

Shakespeare, 28, 91, 113 
Shaler, 6, 132 
Shirley, 143, 145 
Shoes, 16, 196 
Sidney, 56 
Skin, the, 16 
Sleep, 38 
Sorrows, 176 
Soul, 127 
Spencer, 123 
Spirituality, 127 
Stability, 135 
Sterilization, 226 
Strength, 103 
Success, 151 
Sumner, 95 
Superstitions, 211 
Symmetry, 210 
Sympathy, 86, 132 
System, 134 



Tacitus, 103 
Tact, 131 
Teeth, 11 
Tennyson, 166 
Terence, 135 
Thackeray, 12, 162 
Thinking, 56, 67 
Trifles, 72 
Trust, 130 

Unfit, 232 
Unrest, 239 
Unselfishness, 237 

Ventilation, 10, 13, 16 
Vocabulary, 60, 64, 154 
Volition, 93 

Waller, 114 
Waste, 119 
Water, 9, 193 
Watts, 19 
Weakness, 114 
Webster, 100 
Will, 91, 98 
Wisdom, 45, 67, 181 
Woman, 159 
Work, 146, 172 
Worry, 88, 214 
Wundt, 91 

Youth, 144, 149 



